By Ayo Ibrahim
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening military cooperation with the United States, particularly in the fight against terrorism.
Musa stated this on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), Major General Matthew Brown, who was on an official working visit to the Ministry of Defence.
The visit focused on reviewing ongoing joint security initiatives and developing a more result-oriented framework for future defence cooperation between both countries.
The minister expressed appreciation to the U.S. government for its continued support, noting that joint security operations in the North-East, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, had boosted the morale of Nigerian troops.
He identified specialised joint training for Special Forces, intelligence sharing and capacity building, enhanced border surveillance, counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) support, and modernisation of defence infrastructure as priority areas for deeper cooperation.
Musa said strengthening these areas would enhance Nigeria’s capacity to address emerging security threats while improving the effectiveness of its security forces.
In his remarks, Brown congratulated Nigeria ahead of its Independence Day anniversary and expressed appreciation for the longstanding military-to-military relationship between the two countries.
He commended the successes recorded in counter-terrorism operations against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa, particularly the efforts of troops involved in the operations.
Addressing U.S. military activities in Nigeria, Brown said the country’s engagements remained temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration, following the departure of soldiers who were part of the Combined Special Task Force that operated in the Bauchi area.
He described the Nigeria-U.S. defence relationship as strategic and based on mutual trust.
Brown added that the purpose of his visit was to gain a firsthand understanding of Nigeria’s defence priorities, align broader U.S. support with those priorities and strengthen ongoing bilateral intelligence-sharing efforts.
