The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially confirmed the arrival of about 100 United States military personnel and a contingent of associated equipment at the Bauchi Airfield.
As part of expanded defence cooperation aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s counter-terrorism capabilities.
In a statement issued on Monday, Major General Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information, said the deployment follows formal engagements between Nigerian and U.S. defence officials, and was carried out at the request of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The arrival is planned and deliberate following a formal request by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the U.S. government to support clearly defined military training requirements, technical support and intelligence sharing,” the statement said.
Major General Uba emphasised that the U.S. military personnel are technical specialists deployed strictly in advisory and training roles.
They are not combat soldiers and will operate under the authority and direction of the Nigerian government, working in close coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
The DHQ said the collaboration will grant Nigerian forces access to specialised technical expertise designed to enhance operational readiness, improve intelligence sharing, and strengthen efforts to detect, deter and neutralise extremist groups responsible for insecurity across the country.
Major General Uba further announced that Nigerian troops, alongside their U.S. counterparts, will begin joint training exercises and intelligence-focused engagements in the coming weeks.
These initiatives are aimed at improving tactical coordination and the overall capacity of Nigerian forces to confront terrorist threats.
The deployment comes amid a long-running struggle against militant groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as bandit and criminal networks operating in various regions of Nigeria.
While violent attacks by these groups have escalated in recent years, the Nigerian government says the enhanced partnership will bolster its ability to protect vulnerable communities.
