The United States has deployed a small team of military officers to Nigeria, a senior U.S. military official announced Tuesday.
Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, head of U.S. Africa Command, revealed the move during a briefing, noting that the deployment followed his meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in Rome late last year.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations, including the deployment of a small U.S. team bringing unique capabilities to augment Nigeria’s ongoing security efforts,” Anderson said.
The exact date of the team’s arrival in Nigeria remains undisclosed.
This deployment marks the latest development in a growing security partnership between the two countries, following U.S. airstrikes against an Islamic State-affiliated group in Nigeria on December 25, 2025.
Nigeria has recently been at the center of diplomatic tensions with the U.S. after former President Donald Trump threatened military action, alleging that Nigeria was failing to protect its Christian population. Subsequently, Nigeria was designated a “Country of Particular Concern” by the U.S. Congress, a label given to nations deemed responsible for religious oppression.
The Nigerian government vehemently rejected claims of Christian genocide, emphasizing that armed groups target victims irrespective of their religious affiliation.
Despite diplomatic tensions, the two countries have intensified military cooperation, although the specifics remain largely confidential. The U.S. has provided Nigeria with military equipment and carried out reconnaissance missions throughout the country.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple armed groups, including Islamist factions such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In a recent attack last month, militants simultaneously targeted three churches in northwestern Kaduna state, abducting 168 people in one of the deadliest assaults in the region.
