The lawmaker representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has described recent United States military support for Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations as a welcome development, saying the country needs all available assistance to defeat terrorism.
Ndume made the remarks on Friday during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television.
“The fact that the Americans are now helping us fight insurgency is a welcome development. We have been looking for this support for a long time and have made many efforts to get it, but have failed,” the former Senate Chief Whip said.
“Now that we have this window of opportunity, we must utilise it. I have complained many times that our major setback in this fight is a lack of certain resources; now, America has agreed to provide those resources free of charge.”
His comments come about a week after General Dagvin Anderson, head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), said Nigeria and the US had “increased collaboration” in defence and security.
“We agreed that we needed to work together on the way forward in the region,” Anderson said during a virtual news conference. “That has led to increased collaboration between our nations, including a small US team that brings unique capabilities from the United States to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years.”
While Anderson did not disclose details of the collaboration, media reports suggested that about 200 US troops may be on the ground in Nigeria.
Amid public concerns, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) clarified that the partnership focuses on capacity building, professional military education, intelligence sharing, logistics support, and strategic dialogue.
In a statement, the DHQ Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said all engagements with the US are conducted with full respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and existing bilateral agreements. He assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain firmly committed to safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity.
Ndume echoed that position, stressing that US personnel are not engaged in direct combat operations.
“They are not engaging the enemy themselves. Instead, they are providing technological support and training,” he said. “Furthermore, they are not operating independently; they are working under the leadership and command of the Nigerian Army.”
Last year, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the killing of Christians and warned that military action could follow if the situation persisted.
On Christmas Day, the United States carried out strikes targeting terrorist elements in Nigeria. Both governments later confirmed the operation was jointly executed, with Nigeria providing intelligence and other operational support.
