The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced the arrival of about 100 United States military personnel in Nigeria to support the training and capacity development of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Uba said the U.S. personnel and associated equipment arrived at the Bauchi Airfield as part of a structured bilateral defence engagement between both countries.
According to him, the deployment followed a formal request by the Nigerian Government to the U.S. Government for clearly defined military training, technical support and intelligence-sharing assistance.
He explained that the collaboration stemmed from deliberations reached during a joint working group engagement between Nigerian and U.S. defence delegations.
“The U.S. personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in an advisory and training capacity. They are not combat forces,” Uba said.
He stressed that all activities would be conducted under the authority, direction and control of the Nigerian Government and in close coordination with the AFN.
Uba noted that the partnership would provide access to specialised technical capabilities aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s capacity to deter terrorist threats and strengthen the protection of vulnerable communities.
He added that Nigerian troops would commence a series of joint training exercises and intelligence-focused initiatives with the advisers to improve operational effectiveness against extremist groups.
The defence spokesman reaffirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to degrading and defeating terrorist organisations threatening the nation’s sovereignty and national security, assuring Nigerians of transparency and timely updates on the military partnership.