From Concern to Collaboration: How Nigeria Went from U.S. CPC to US Security Partner

From Concern to Collaboration: How Nigeria Went from U.S. CPC to US Security Partner

When the United States, in late October 2025, designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, many in Nigeria were worried. The CPC label — traditionally applied to states perceived to engage in or tolerate systematic religious freedom violations — carried the tacit threat of sanctions and even military intervention. Nigeria, already beleaguered by insurgency, banditry, and communal violence, could not be welcoming of the prospect of external pressure at an already fragile time.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu entrusted his National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, with the task of navigating this diplomatic storm — to ensure that Nigeria’s narrative, interests, and sovereignty were firmly communicated to the United States government. What followed was an uncommonly robust and disciplined sequence of engagements that would steadily transform what threatened to be a diplomatic crisis into a platform for deepened security cooperation.

Mal. Ribadu’s first major diplomatic engagement unfolded in late November 2025, when he led a high-level Nigerian delegation to the United States.

Over several days in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., Ribadu and his team held multiple meetings with key American institutions and officials, including members of the U.S. Congress, the White House Faith Office, the State Department, the National Security Council, and notably, the Department of War. These engagements, beyond defending Nigeria’s record were to reset a conversation that was imbalanced against the country. The Nigerian delegation explicitly refuted allegations of widespread religious persecution, stressing that violent attacks in Nigeria cut across religious and ethnic lines, and underscored that the security crisis was a complex blend of terrorism, banditry, and criminality—not a sectarian failure of governance.

At a critical moment during this tour, Ribadu met directly with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. This meeting was pivotal: at a time when the United States was publicly talking about “horrific violence against Christians” in Nigeria, Ribadu articulated Nigeria’s position, emphasising the shared threat posed by extremist actors such as Boko Haram, Islamic State affiliates, and bandit groups. That exchange seemed to mark a turning point in the tone of the US government, from one that was earlier unilaterally critical to one of mutual security concern and dialogue.

Mal. Ribadu’s delegation’s efforts bore immediate fruit. By late November, the United States and Nigeria had agreed on the establishment of a Joint Working Group—a structured mechanism designed to unify and coordinate bilateral security cooperation. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved Mal. Ribadu’s leadership of the Nigerian side of this Joint Working Group, which was comprised of senior officials from defence, intelligence, foreign affairs, police, and humanitarian agencies.

Back on home soil in early December 2025, the impact of Mal. Ribadu’s engagements in Washington remained visible. A delegation of U.S. lawmakers arrived in Abuja and met Mal. Ribadu and other Nigerian security officials. The visit was framed as a strategic fact-finding and partnership mission, signalling that American interest in Nigeria’s internal security dynamics was growing deeper rather, and far away from the earlier punitive intentions President Trump suggested. Mal. Ribadu used this platform to further articulate Nigeria’s security posture and to reinforce the imperative of partnership over parochial narratives.

These diplomatic efforts laid the groundwork for events that would follow with both operational and symbolic significance.

On 25 December 2025, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted airstrikes in Northwest Nigeria—precisely in some areas around Sokoto State—against positions associated with Islamic State militants and allied groups. Rather than unilateral action, this was a coordinated strike executed with Nigeria’s consent and with intelligence support from Nigerian agencies, a far cry from the initial threats of unilateral military intervention that had accompanied the CPC designation. The coordination of this operation underscored the extent to which Mal. Ribadu’s engagements—that Nigeria was a willing partner facing a shared, non-sectarian threat—had taken hold.

Barely two weeks later, on January 13, 2026, U.S. forces delivered “critical military supplies” to Nigerian security agencies in Abuja, a tangible milestone in the burgeoning security partnership. Announced by AFRICOM, the delivery was explicitly framed as support for Nigeria’s ongoing counterterrorism efforts and was characterised as part of a shared security partnership. While the precise contents of the equipment were not disclosed, the symbolism could not be overstated: after months of diplomatic effort, Nigeria was receiving material support from one of the world’s most advanced defence establishments to bolster its own fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

The cooperation has not been limited to hardware alone. Reports indicate that U.S. intelligence collection over Nigerian territory has been stepped up, with surveillance flights and daily intelligence gathering flights complementing Nigeria’s own efforts, and leading to actionable intelligence that has disrupted plots and likely prevented attacks that previously might have succeeded. This level of intelligence sharing is widely regarded by Nigerian security sources as deeper and more dynamic than any prior period in recent memory.

In reframing Nigeria’s security predicament from one mischaracterised abroad as a narrow religious crisis to one understood as a multifaceted threat affecting all Nigerians, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu secured not just respect from counterparts in the United States, but results. From operational cooperation, to material support, and sustained intelligence sharing that have already begun to show positive effects on the ground.

In the unforgiving arena of international diplomacy and national security, outcomes matter more than words. What began as an external rebuke has, under Mallam Ribadu’s guidance, become a catalyst for renewed partnerships, enhanced capabilities, and a more coherent approach to shared threats.

Eyimofe Amajuoritse is a journalist covering Nigeria’s foreign relations.