The military high command on Thursday confirmed the presence of United States troops in Nigeria but dismissed suggestions of combat deployment.
It clarified that the American personnel are not engaged in ground operations or combat roles, stressing that their presence is limited to capacity building, professional military education, intelligence sharing, logistics support and strategic dialogue with Nigerian forces.
The Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, a Major-General, while reacting to reports that raised concerns about the US forces deployment, said the cooperation was aimed at addressing shared security concerns, including terrorism and transnational threats.
Daily Trust reports that the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), had on Tuesday revealed that a small team of American military personnel had been deployed to Nigeria as part of ongoing security cooperation between both countries.
AFRICOM commander, Dagvin Anderson, while speaking during a virtual press briefing, said the deployment was made at the request of the Nigerian government and was strictly focused on providing specialised intelligence assistance to support counter-terrorism efforts.
Anderson, while stressing that the mission was advisory in nature and aligned with mutual security objectives, said, “Our partnership with Nigeria is a great example of a willing and capable ally that requested unique capabilities only the United States can provide”.
On December 25, 2025, the United States military, in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria, carried out strike operations across multiple locations in Sokoto State.
