President Bola Tinubu on Sunday received a high-level delegation from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) at the State House, Abuja, in a meeting that underscored renewed strategic engagement between Nigeria and the United States on defence, intelligence sharing and regional security cooperation.
The U.S. delegation was led by the Commander of AFRICOM, General Dagvin Anderson, and comprised senior diplomatic and military officials.
They included the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Keith Heffern; AFRICOM’s Senior Foreign Policy Adviser, Ambassador Peter Vrooman; and Command Sergeant Major Garric M. Banfield, AFRICOM’s Command Senior Enlisted Leader.
Although details of the discussions were not made public, the meeting is understood to have focused on security collaboration, counterterrorism efforts, and stability in West and Central Africa, amid ongoing regional security challenges.
President Tinubu was accompanied by top officials in Nigeria’s defence and intelligence community, reflecting the high-level nature of the engagement.
Those present included the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd); the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Uandiandeye; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi.
The meeting comes amid broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to strengthen international partnerships aimed at addressing terrorism, insurgency, and transnational security threats affecting Nigeria and the wider region.
