The Federal Government has announced that the high-level Nigerian delegation and United States officials have reached a fresh agreement to collaborate on addressing Nigeria’s prolonged security challenges.
A delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, met last week with senior officials across the US Congress, the White House Faith Office, the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Department of War over allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Providing insight into the discussions, President Bola Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the talks aimed to enhance security cooperation between Nigeria and the US.
He explained that the outcome of the meetings has opened new opportunities for both countries to work together to safeguard Nigerian citizens.
He added that during the engagements in Washington, DC, the Nigerian delegation firmly rejected claims of genocide, insisting that violent incidents in Nigeria cut across religious and ethnic groups.
“The delegation strongly rejected wrongful framing of the situation, saying such would only divide Nigerians and distort the realities on the ground.
“Following these engagements, the United States Government affirmed its readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria.
“This includes enhanced intelligence support, expedited processing of defence equipment requests, and the potential provision of excess defence articles, subject to availability, to reinforce ongoing operations against terrorists and violent extremist groups.
“The United States also expressed its willingness to extend complementary support, including humanitarian assistance to affected populations in the Middle Belt and technical support to strengthen early-warning mechanisms.”
According to the presidential spokesman, both sides “agreed to implement immediately a non-binding cooperation framework and to establish a Joint Working Group to ensure a unified and coordinated approach to the agreed areas of cooperation”.
He added that the Nigerian delegation reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening civilian protection measures.
