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The United States and Nigeria held a second round of security talks in Washington on Wednesday, with discussions focusing on protecting Christian communities, holding perpetrators of violence accountable and military-to-military cooperation, the US Department of State disclosed on Thursday.
The talks, led by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker and Nigerian National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, follow the redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious freedom violations.
The joint working group reviewed progress on resettling internally displaced persons, counterterrorism prosecutions and combating the financing of terrorism, according to a State Department statement.
“The JWG identified continuing challenges, including reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency. Discussions on military-to-military cooperation continue today at the Pentagon,” the statement said.
The United States noted Nigeria’s reported efforts to date, including the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) suspects, expansion of judicial capacity, and recruitment and training of 50,000 additional police officers, according to a State Department media note.
“Both sides acknowledged that more work lies ahead, particularly with supporting IDPs,” it added.
“The two sides also discussed continued cooperation on countering terrorism financing, biometric information sharing to support accountability measures, and law enforcement capacity building through the Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT).”
The Nigerian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Defence Christopher Musa, and Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The joint working group was established after the United States redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
The first session was held in Abuja on January 22, 2026.
Dateline : Washington DC USA
The meeting of the USA-NIGERIA JOINT WORKING GROUP to evaluate progress in bilateral counterterrorism efforts and charting the next phase of security collaboration between Nigeria and the United States of America .
The Nigerian delegation is led by… pic.twitter.com/o2V9llDSgN— Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (@Ojukwu_Bianca) August 13, 2026
