President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the Nigerian contingent for a new U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group aimed at boosting security cooperation, even as a fresh wave of kidnappings and armed raids across several states has renewed fears over the nation’s capacity to protect vulnerable communities.
The delegation led by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and comprising senior officials including the ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police — held a series of meetings in Washington with US congressional, executive and defence counterparts to fast-track intelligence sharing, technical assistance and the expedited processing of defence equipment requests. Washington also signalled willingness to provide excess defence articles where available.
“The week-long engagements helped correct misconceptions about Nigeria’s security landscape, rebuild trust, and reinforce a solution-focused partnership between Abuja and Washington,” the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement describing the talks.
The diplomatic push comes amid intensifying violence on the ground. Bandits attacked farming communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting 24 people including pregnant women during an assault on a rice farm, while separate raids near the Federal Capital Territory saw six young women and a teenage boy taken from Gidan-Bijimi in Bwari Area Council. Witness accounts and police sources report attackers using superior firepower and disguises, and some victims remain uncontactable.
Security experts and civil-society voices warned that enhanced foreign cooperation will have limited effect unless systemic problems within Nigeria’s defence and security architecture are tackled. Former Education Minister Obiageli Ezekwesili argued that corruption has fuelled “a bloody, thriving and lucrative war economy”, noting that soaring defence budgets have not translated into improved protection for citizens. “Corruption kills,” she wrote on social media, questioning accountability in defence procurement and expenditure.
Federal authorities say the working group will operate under a non-binding cooperation framework and focus on immediate measures such as scaled intelligence cooperation, early-warning systems and humanitarian support for affected communities. Still, the timing with high-profile mass kidnappings and ambushes continuing has underscored the urgent need for both rapid responses and long-term reform.
