Ribadu Leads Nigerian Delegation to US-Nigeria Security Talks in Washington

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is leading a high-level Nigerian delegation to Washington, D.C., for a United States-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting focused on counterterrorism and bilateral security cooperation.

The meeting brings together senior officials from both countries to review ongoing counterterrorism efforts, assess progress and discuss the next steps in strengthening security cooperation between Abuja and Washington.

A bilateral defence meeting is also scheduled for Thursday as part of the engagements.

The Nigerian delegation includes Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Defence Minister Christopher Musa, Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi.

Also attending are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.

The US delegation is being led by Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

The Washington meeting comes amid renewed attention to Nigeria-US security relations, particularly counterterrorism cooperation.

The Joint Working Group was established following the United States’ redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by President Donald Trump, according to the report.

The designation and subsequent diplomatic engagements have increased focus on security, religious freedom, counterterrorism and Nigeria’s broader cooperation with the United States.

The latest talks provide an opportunity for both governments to assess existing measures and identify areas requiring deeper cooperation.

Nigeria is expected to use the engagements to highlight its ongoing counterterrorism operations and security challenges, while the United States is expected to push for stronger measures and closer coordination in addressing terrorist threats.

The broader diplomatic engagements will continue with a bilateral defence meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The talks are expected to further examine defence cooperation, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism strategies and other areas of mutual security interest.

The presence of senior Nigerian officials from the security, foreign affairs, finance and justice sectors underscores the broad scope of the discussions.

The meetings come at a time when Nigeria continues to battle terrorism and insurgency, particularly in the North-East, while also confronting banditry and other security threats across several parts of the country.

The outcome of the Washington engagements could shape the next phase of security and defence cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.