President Bola Tinubu on Sunday welcomed a delegation from the United States, led by the Commander of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), at the State House in Abuja. The meeting included the President’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and service chiefs.
According to a statement from the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, the delegation comprised General Dagvin R. Anderson, his team, and the Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Keith Heffern.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside his National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and service chiefs, received in audience the Commander of General Dagvin Anderson, his team, and the Charge d’Affaires U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Keith Heffern, at the State House,” the statement said.
The visit comes shortly after the United States deployed a small contingent of troops to Nigeria on February 3, marking the first official U.S. military presence in the country since airstrikes targeted terrorist positions on Christmas Day 2025. This followed President Donald Trump’s December 2025 order for airstrikes on what he described as “Islamic State targets” in Nigeria, with indications of potential further actions.
Before the deployment, the U.S. had been conducting intelligence and surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighboring Ghana since at least November 2025 to support planning for the December strikes.
General Anderson highlighted that the deployment reflects strengthened cooperation between the two nations against terrorism in West Africa. “That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” he said, without specifying the team’s size or exact role, noting that it would aid Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.