The Nigerian military has confirmed the presence of United States troops in the country but dismissed claims that they are deployed for combat operations.
The Director of Defence Information, Major-General Samaila Uba, said the American personnel are in Nigeria strictly for advisory and support roles, including intelligence sharing, capacity building, logistics support and professional military education. He stressed that all engagements are conducted with full respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Uba was reacting to reports by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which disclosed that a small team of US military personnel had been deployed to Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government to support counter-terrorism efforts.
AFRICOM Commander, General Dagvin Anderson, said the mission is advisory in nature and focused on providing specialised intelligence support, describing Nigeria as a key security partner of the United States.
Addressing public concerns, Uba noted that Nigeria has a long-standing security partnership with the US, guided by mutual respect and existing bilateral frameworks. He added that recent high-level engagements between both countries were aimed at strengthening cooperation, coordination and accountability in tackling terrorism and other transnational threats.
The Defence Headquarters reassured Nigerians that all international military partnerships are transparent, policy-driven and aligned with national interest, insisting that Nigeria’s sovereignty remains intact and Nigerian forces retain full operational control.
Defence Minister Christopher Musa also confirmed that the US personnel are not combat troops but a small advisory team supporting intelligence and capacity-building efforts. He said Nigerian forces remain fully in charge of all operations.
Security experts and legal practitioners have similarly argued that the presence of US troops, if approved by the Nigerian government, is not unusual and may be justified by the country’s ongoing security challenges.
