*Intelligence Sharing And Training To Continue
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The Defence Headquarters has clarified that the planned withdrawal of about 200 United States military personnel from Nigeria does not signal a breakdown or termination of security cooperation between the two countries, describing the move as a routine, mission-specific adjustment.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Samaila Uba, made the clarification on Tuesday while responding to questions from journalists at a security briefing organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
Uba said the Armed Forces had received several inquiries following reports that the United States was withdrawing approximately 200 personnel deployed to Nigeria, prompting the military to explain the circumstances surrounding the development.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to clarify that the reported withdrawal of about 200 United States personnel should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the Nigeria-United States security partnership,” he said.
According to him, the defence relationship between both countries remains “strong, enduring, and mutually beneficial,” with cooperation continuing in intelligence sharing, military training, technical assistance and other areas of professional military engagement.
Uba explained that the presence of the American personnel in Nigeria was tied to particular operational and counter-terrorism objectives, meaning that changes in their numbers should be viewed within the context of evolving missions rather than as an indication that Washington was ending its security partnership with Abuja.
“Our cooperation with the United States is designed to strengthen our capabilities through intelligence sharing, training, technical assistance and other forms of professional military cooperation,” he stated.
He stressed that Nigeria remained primarily responsible for its own national defence and security, while international partnerships were intended to strengthen the capabilities of Nigerian forces rather than replace them.
The military spokesman said cooperation with the United States had continued to produce useful results in counter-terrorism operations and efforts against transnational security threats, adding that engagements in areas of mutual interest would continue despite the troop drawdown.
He urged the media and members of the public not to interpret the reduction in American military personnel as evidence of weakening relations or diminished Nigerian defence capability.
“We equally call on the media and the Nigerian public to avoid interpreting a routine or mission-specific adjustment in foreign military presence as evidence of a collapse in Nigeria’s security cooperation or national defence capability,” Uba said.
The clarification follows reports that the United States is reducing the number of military personnel deployed to Nigeria.
The Commander of the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, General Dagvin Anderson, had earlier indicated in July that much of the American force deployed to Nigeria had already been withdrawn.
Despite the reduction, Anderson said the United States would continue providing the form of assistance requested by Nigeria, particularly intelligence cooperation.
“They are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing and the understanding that’s necessary,” he said.
The deployment began in early February 2026 after Nigeria and the United States reached an agreement to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation.
The agreement followed a United States military strike against suspected Islamic State fighters, whom President Donald Trump said had been targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The United States initially described the deployment as involving a “small team,” but by the middle of February, about 200 American troops had reportedly been deployed to North-East Nigeria.
Their deployment generated debate among Nigerians over the involvement of foreign troops in the country’s internal security operations.
At the time, Nigerian military authorities said the American personnel were not expected to undertake direct combat missions but would focus on military education, intelligence sharing, logistical support and strategic dialogue on terrorism and other transnational threats.
However, the troops were subsequently reported to have participated alongside Nigerian forces in a combat operation in the North-East in which a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province and other fighters were killed.
The deployment was believed to have been concentrated principally in the North-East, particularly Borno State, which has remained at the centre of Nigeria’s long-running counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP.
The DHQ maintained that the reduction in United States personnel should therefore be understood as an adjustment to the specific mission for which they were deployed rather than an end to bilateral military relations.
According to Uba, intelligence sharing, training, technical support and professional military cooperation between Nigeria and the United States will continue, while Nigerian security forces retain primary responsibility for defending the country and confronting terrorism and other security threats.
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