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The Defence Headquarters has assured Nigerians that the planned withdrawal of more than 200 United States military personnel from Nigeria will not disrupt the country’s ongoing fight against terrorism.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja during the Joint Security News Briefing, saying the drawdown should not be interpreted as a breakdown in Nigeria’s security cooperation with the United States.
Uba said the security relationship between both countries remained strong, with the withdrawal linked to specific operational and counter-terrorism objectives rather than an end to bilateral military cooperation.
“The relationship between Nigeria and the United States remains strong, enduring and mutually beneficial,” he said.
According to him, intelligence sharing, training, information exchange and other areas of professional military cooperation will continue despite the reduction in the number of US personnel stationed in Nigeria.
He stressed that the primary responsibility for defending Nigeria and protecting its citizens remained with the Nigerian security forces, while the partnership with Washington was designed to strengthen the country’s capabilities through intelligence, training and technical assistance.
“The responsibility for the defence of Nigeria and the protection of its citizens rests primarily with Nigerian security forces,” Uba said.
The defence spokesman added that Nigeria and the US could undertake further joint operations, including strikes, where both countries assessed such action to be necessary.
He said the partnership had contributed to efforts against terrorism and other transnational security threats, while urging Nigerians and the media not to interpret adjustments in foreign military deployments as evidence of a collapse in security cooperation.
Uba said the military remained focused on kinetic operations against terrorists and other armed groups threatening Nigerians, stressing that defeating such groups remained a core responsibility of the Armed Forces.
“Our major job is kinetic operations. As much as possible, we want to take down all the terrorists in Nigeria, or anybody who takes up arms against citizens,” he said.
He added that the military would continue to support non-kinetic interventions under the whole-of-society and whole-of-nation approach to tackling insecurity, but maintained that such efforts would not alter the military’s opposition to dialogue with terrorists or ransom payments.
Uba further explained that some non-kinetic initiatives were state-led, with the military providing support where required, while the police remained the lead agency for internal security and the Armed Forces provided assistance within their mandate.
