Details have emerged on the depth of Nigeria’s expanding military cooperation with the United States, following President Donald Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) over allegations of a Christian genocide — claims Abuja has repeatedly denied.
Trump made the designation last October and, a month later, warned that the US could send troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate terrorists killing Christians. The threat, widely seen as a breach of Nigeria’s sovereignty, prompted President Bola Tinubu to send a delegation led by Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, to meet US defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
After the meeting, Hegseth said the US was “working aggressively” with Nigeria to stop the alleged persecution of Christians, without giving details.
Days later, the US began intelligence-gathering flights over Nigeria, with contractor-operated aircraft reportedly flying from Ghana into Nigerian airspace before returning to Accra. On Christmas Day, the US carried out airstrikes on terrorist enclaves in Bauni forest, Tangaza LGA of Sokoto state.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the strikes were based on intelligence-sharing and strategic coordination between both countries and aligned with “established international practice and bilateral understanding”.
While initial reports suggested the use of Tomahawk missiles, officials familiar with the operation told TheCable the strikes were carried out using drones.
Communities in Sokoto and Kwara states reported explosions during the strikes, which the federal government later attributed to debris from precision-guided munitions.
An official familiar with US-Nigeria discussions told TheCable that Washington has requested a drone refuelling station in Nigeria to support operations launched from Ghana, a key hub for US military logistics in Africa. Talks have advanced, with a north-eastern state designated to host the facility after Lagos and Abuja were rejected on “sensitive grounds”.
“We’re not going to have boots on the ground. We’re not going to have a military leg operation. They are only going to support Nigeria either in equipment or intelligence or something like that, not in a fighting capacity,” the official said.
“It would possibly be an advisory capacity — maybe training or things like that — which are already ongoing.”
The refuelling station would allow US personnel to fly in from Ghana to coordinate support for Nigerian forces.
Meanwhile, Dagvin Anderson, commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), confirmed that a “small team” of US troops had been deployed to Nigeria, triggering public concern.
However, an official told TheCable that US troops have long been present in Nigeria and that “the only thing that changed is the scope of their assignment”.
That expanded role has reportedly been assigned to the US 3rd Special Forces Group. Nigeria’s defence minister, Christopher Musa, also said the US personnel are not combat troops but an advisory team supporting intelligence and training. An official familiar with the operation told TheCable that the team was involved in coordinating the Christmas Day airstrikes.