Nigeria’s Defence Minister, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening military cooperation with the United States, with a particular focus on counter-terrorism operations and intelligence sharing.
Musa made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving Major General Matthew Brown, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), who was on an official working visit to the Ministry of Defence.
According to a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant (Media), Leah Katung-Babatunde, the visit aimed to review ongoing joint security initiatives and develop a more results-oriented strategic framework for future defence collaboration.
Musa thanked the U.S. government for its sustained partnership, noting that collaborative security operations in the North-East, especially around the Lake Chad Basin, had significantly boosted the morale of Nigerian troops.
To build on these gains, he outlined key priority areas for enhanced cooperation. These include specialised joint training for Special Forces, intelligence sharing and capacity building, improved border surveillance and security, counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) support, and the modernisation of defence infrastructure to strengthen local capacity.
In his response, Brown extended early Independence Day greetings to Nigeria and expressed appreciation for the decades-long military-to-military relationship between the two countries, which he said continues to advance shared security objectives.
He highlighted successful counter-terrorism operations against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa and commended the troops involved.
Brown also clarified the nature of U.S. engagements in the region following the departure of soldiers who formed part of the Combined Special Task Force that operated in the Bauchi area.
He stressed that U.S. military activities in Nigeria are temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration.
Describing the bilateral relationship as strategic and rooted in mutual trust, Brown said the primary goal of his visit was to gain a direct understanding of Nigeria’s defence priorities, better align broader U.S. support, and further strengthen ongoing bilateral intelligence sharing.