The U.S-Nigeria security partnership has entered a new phase of high-intensity collaboration as the U.S military has confirmed that it is now sharing intelligence with the Nigerian government on the war against terrorism.
The U.S-Nigeria security partnership was the central focus of the inaugural Joint Working Group meeting held in Abuja on January 22, 2026.
This high-level dialogue follows a series of unprecedented military actions, including the Christmas Day 2025 airstrikes authorized by United States President Donald Trump against Islamic State-linked targets in Sokoto State.
Giving information on the circumstances of the partnership, Lieutenant General John Brennan, Deputy Commander of U.S Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the U.S military has stepped up in sharing intelligence with the Nigerian government.
Brennan added that the Pentagon is now prioritizing a “connected” strategy that treats the jihadist threat as a unified network stretching from Somalia to the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking in an interview with the press, Brennan said the Pentagon was also maintaining communication with the militaries of junta-led Sahel countries, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, despite strained diplomatic relations.
The enhanced cooperation with Nigeria followed sustained diplomatic pressure from Washington over jihadist violence in the country, as well as a more assertive US military posture on the continent.
“Under the Trump administration, we’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and are working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS,” Brennan said.
He added that militant activities across Africa were interconnected. “From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we’re trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need.”
According to Brennan, the U.S approach now prioritises enabling partner forces. “It’s been about more enabling partners and then providing them with equipment and capabilities with fewer restrictions so that they can be more successful.”
Brennan also clarified that U.S intelligence support would not be religion-specific. He said American assistance following the Sokoto strikes would focus on intelligence sharing to support Nigerian air operations in both the northwest and the northeast, where Boko Haram and its Islamic State-aligned splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged an insurgency since 2009.
ISWAP, Brennan said, was “our most concerning group”.
Brennan said cooperation would cover a broad range of support. “The whole gamut of intel sharing, sharing… tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as enabling them to procure more equipment,” he said.
He disclosed that the initial U.S strikes targeted militants linked to Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), a group typically active in neighbouring Niger. Analysts have warned of the group’s potential expansion from the Sahel into coastal West African states, including Nigeria.
Brennan also ruled out plans to establish new U.S military bases in the region following the closure of American drone operations in Agadez, Niger.
“We’re not in the market to create a drone base anywhere,” he said. “We are much more focused on getting capability to the right place at the right time and then leaving. We don’t seek long-term basing in any of the western African countries.”
The comments came weeks after several weeks of diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the U.S, particularly after Trump accused the Nigerian government of being complicit in the killings of Christians.
Trump also designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom violations.
The Nigerian government rejected Trump’s claims, arguing that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and driven by overlapping factors beyond religion.
The relationship has since moved on as the Nigerian government and the U.S government have been working together to protect Christians and end terrorism in the country.
