Nigeria, United States Deepen Security Partnership as Ribadu Meets U.S. Vice President
Nigeria and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on security, counterterrorism, regional stability, and strategic partnership following a series of high-level meetings in Washington, D.C.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was on a three-day working visit to the United States from May 4 to May 6, held strategic discussions with senior U.S. government officials, conveying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations with Washington.
During the visit, Ribadu met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Acting National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, and Assistant Secretary of War Daniel Zimmerman.
The meetings provided both countries with the opportunity to review the state of Nigeria–U.S. relations and explore ways to further strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, defence collaboration, intelligence sharing, regional security, economic resilience, and democratic governance.
Ribadu emphasised the importance of sustained partnership in addressing evolving security threats in West Africa and the Sahel region, including terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, and cyber threats.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working closely with international partners to promote peace, stability, and economic development across Africa, noting Nigeria’s strategic role in counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider West African sub-region.
Discussions also focused on the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel, the need for stronger regional cooperation, and the importance of building institutional capacity to respond to complex and asymmetric threats.
At a separate engagement with Under Secretary Allison Hooker at the U.S. Department of State, Ribadu expressed Nigeria’s appreciation for continued American support across multiple sectors, particularly in security assistance, intelligence collaboration, defence capacity building, humanitarian response, and counterterrorism operations.
He also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to implementing the Nigeria–U.S. Joint Working Group (JWG) roadmap, established to strengthen structured bilateral cooperation on strategic and security matters.
Both sides reviewed progress under the framework and discussed practical steps to enhance implementation, including improved intelligence sharing, military cooperation, border security management, strategic communications, and capacity building for Nigerian security agencies.
Ribadu further briefed U.S. officials on ongoing reforms by the Nigerian government aimed at improving national security, stabilising affected communities, and addressing the root causes of insecurity through a whole-of-government approach that combines kinetic and non-kinetic strategies.
He highlighted initiatives such as community engagement, economic development programmes, deradicalisation efforts, and expanded regional partnerships.
U.S. officials commended Nigeria’s leadership role in regional peace and security efforts and reaffirmed Washington’s recognition of Nigeria as a key strategic partner in Africa. Both countries reiterated their shared commitment to democratic values, regional stability, and sustainable peace.
The engagements concluded with a mutual pledge to deepen bilateral cooperation through sustained diplomatic dialogue and the effective implementation of ongoing security and defence initiatives under the Joint Working Group framework.
Both nations expressed optimism about the future of their strategic partnership and reaffirmed their readiness to work closely in addressing shared global and regional challenges.