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US Military Increases Deliveries To Nigeria In ‘Aggressive’ Push Against ISIS Terrorists
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The increased cooperation with the Federal Government follows Washington’s diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence in the country.
The aircraft arrived Nigeria on January 13, 2026. Credit: X/@USAfricaCommand
The US military is increasing materiel deliveries and intelligence sharing with Nigeria, Africom’s deputy commander told AFP, as part of a broader American push to work with African militaries to go after Islamic State-linked militants.
The Pentagon has also maintained open lines of communication with militaries in junta-led Sahel countries Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, Lieutenant General John Brennan said.
The increased cooperation with the Federal Government follows Washington’s diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence in the country, but also as the US military is becoming “more aggressive” in pursuing IS-linked targets on the continent.
US Army Lieutenant General John Brennan, the deputy commander of the United States Africa Command since April 2024, poses for a portrait in Abuja on January 24, 2026.
Under the Trump administration, “we’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and (are) working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS,” Brennan said in an interview on the sidelines of a US-Nigeria security meeting in the Nigerian capital last week.
“From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we’re trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need,” he added.
“It’s been about more enabling partners and then providing them with equipment and capabilities with less restrictions so that they can be more successful.”
Last week’s inaugural US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting came roughly a month after the US announced surprise Christmas Day strikes on IS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria.
Diplomatic Clash
Though both militaries seem keen on increased cooperation after the joint strikes, hanging over it all is diplomatic pressure by Washington over what Trump claims is the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Abuja and independent analysts reject that framing of Nigeria’s myriad, overlapping conflicts, which has long been used by the US religious right.
Charged politics were on display at the Joint Working Group meeting in Abuja, where Allison Hooker, the number three at the State Department, pushed the Nigerian government “to protect Christians” in a speech that did not mention Muslim victims of armed groups.
Africa’s most populous country is roughly evenly split between a mostly Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. Though millions live side by side peacefully, religious and ethnic identity remains a sensitive topic in a country that has seen sectarian violence throughout its history.
Brennan told AFP that US intelligence would not be limited to protecting Christians.
He also said that following the US strikes in northwestern Sokoto state, American support going forward would focus on intelligence sharing to aid Nigerian air strikes there, as well as the northeast, where a jihadist insurgency by Boko Haram and rival breakaway ISWAP has raged since 2009.
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is “our most concerning group”, he said.
Analysts have been tracking US intelligence flights over the country in recent months, though some have questioned whether air support alone can push back armed groups that thrive amid widespread poverty and state collapse in rural areas.
‘Still Collaborate’ With AES Militaries
US-Nigerian cooperation going forward will involve “the whole gamut of Intel sharing, sharing… tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as enabling them to procure more equipment,” Brennan said.
The initial strikes targeted militants linked to Islamic State Sahel Province, typically active in neighbouring Niger, Brennan said.
Analysts have voiced concerns about ISSP’s spread from the Sahel into coastal West African countries like Nigeria.
The impact of those strikes so far has been unclear, however, with local and international journalists unable to confirm militant casualties.
Asked about their effectiveness, Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris said last week it was “still a work in progress”.
In the Sahel more widely, Brennan said “we still collaborate” with the junta-led governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have broken away from their West African neighbours and largely shunned the West.
Security cooperation has been curtailed since coups toppled civilian governments across the three countries from 2020 to 2023.
“We have actually shared information with some of them to attack key terrorist targets,” he said. “We still talk to our military partners across the Sahelian states, even though it’s not official.”
Brennan also said the US is not seeking to replace its bases in Niger after its troops were pushed out by the ruling junta.
“We’re not in the market to create a drone base anywhere,” he said, referencing the shuttered US drone operations in Agadez.
“We are much more focused on getting capability to the right place at the right time and then leaving. We don’t seek long-term basing in any of the Western African countries.”
AFP
The Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, on Wednesday ordered the unconditional release of Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo and other detained leaders of Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area.
Delivering judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement application, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa granted the order while ruling on a motion filed on May 4, 2026.
The case, Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/42/2024: Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo & Ors v. Federal Government of Nigeria & Ors, also has July 13, 2026, fixed for continuation of hearing on the substantive matter.
The court had earlier ordered that the detained persons be produced before it, a directive which was reportedly not complied with by the military authorities.
Counsel to the applicants, Dr. Jonathan Ekperusi, appeared alongside Andrew Ubido, Esq., while Magdalene Irorere held brief for the 3rd and 5th respondents during the proceedings.
Following the ruling, members of the Okuama community expressed relief and joy over the court’s decision.
Victor Akemor, speaking on behalf of some community members, described the ruling as a welcome development.
“This is great news. Finally, we have reason to celebrate. The court is indeed the hope of the common man,” he said.
He also called on the Delta State Government to assist in facilitating the implementation of the court order and commended community leaders and legal representatives for their efforts.
The detained individuals, including Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, President General of Ewu Kingdom; Chief Belvis Adogbo; Dennis Malaka; and Mabel Owhemu, have been in custody for nearly two years.
One of the detainees, Pa James Oghoroko, reportedly died while in detention.
The Okuama leaders were arrested by military personnel between August 18 and 19, 2024, following the killing of 17 soldiers near the community.
More than 100 Nigerians serving jail terms in Ethiopia may soon be transferred to Nigeria as both countries conclude arrangements for a prisoner transfer agreement.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, arrived in Addis Ababa for the signing of the pact alongside the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
The Nigerian delegation was received by Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and the country’s Chief of Protocol.
According to Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the agreement is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday.
She disclosed that four Nigerian inmates died during the lengthy process of negotiations, judicial reviews and ratification of the agreement.
“We cannot afford to lose any more precious lives. We are determined to bring home the living,” she stated in a post on her X handle.
The minister identified Kaliti Prison and Aba Samuel Prison as the facilities where the affected Nigerians are being held.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the agreement as a product of the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Ethiopia, anchored on humanitarian considerations, justice and bilateral cooperation.
She said that while the Nigerian government continues to urge its citizens abroad to obey the laws of their host countries and protect the nation’s image, it remains committed to ensuring that Nigerians facing legal challenges overseas are treated fairly and in accordance with established legal frameworks.
The minister added that the welfare and protection of Nigerians abroad remain a key priority of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
She also expressed appreciation to the Ethiopian government for its cooperation in bringing the agreement to fruition.
A Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday rescheduled further hearing for June 24 in the post-conviction proceedings being conducted in the N33.8 bilion case involving former Power Minister Saleh Mamman.
By the court’s schedule, a lawyer to Mamman, Mohammed Ahmed, is to appear to explain some aspects of an affidavit he filed, in which he made some allegations against the trial judge.
Yesterday’s adjournment was informed by the claim by another lawyer, Suleiman Yakubu that Ahmed was indisposed.
The court had on May 7 convicted Mamman on all 12-count charged on which he was prosecuted and sentenced him to 75 years imprisonment in absentia.
Upon an order for his arrest and production, the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended him somewhere in Kaduna and presented him before the court on May 26.
The court directed that he should be committed to the Kuje prison where he is must serve his sentence.
Also on May 26, the prosecution informed the court about its motion for the forfeiture of some recently discovered assets allegedly acquired unlawfully by Mamman.
But, before the application could be heard, lawyer to the defendant exited the court without the notice, a development that informed an adjournment till June 8.
The recently discovered assets, according to court documents filed by the EFCC, include: Walijam Apartments, located on No.43, Plot 435 Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja and Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited, located at No 5, Amana Crescent, New Estate Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna State.
They include a mansion on No 11, Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja; a mansion on No 13, Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja and A.U.A. Plaza, situated on Plot 734, Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
On June 8, lawyer to the prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, (SAN) reminded the court that the business of the day for hearing of the prosecution’s motion for consequential order to forfeit some properties belonging to the convict (Mamman).
The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho drew Oyedepo’s attention to a counter affidavit filed for the defendant, but which was deposed to by his other lawyer, Ahmed, who, in the affidavit, allegedly claimed that the judgment delivered on May 7 was done when the judge “became enraged.”
Oyedepo claimed not to have been served with the affidavit, following which Justice Omotosho ordered, who Yakubu, who appeared for Mamman, to give a copy to the prosecuting lawyer.
Justice Omotosho directed Ahmed, who deposed to the affidavit, should appear before his court on May 10 to provide explanation in relation to some of his averments in the affidavit he deposed to.
Ahmed was absent on May 10. Yakubu, who also appeared for the defendant, claimed Ahmed was ill.
Yakubu, who apologised for the manner he left the court on the previous date, claimed that Ahmed has been ill for some time, saying: “He has been coughing, and we don’t know if it is tuberculosis because the cough has defiled all drugs.”
He further claimed that Ahmed has gone to his village for treatment and urged the court to adjourn further hearing till the following week.
At that point, Justice Omotosho sought to know how Yakubu came to the conclusion that Ahmed suffered from tuberculosis.
Responding, Yabuku said it was because Ahmed had taken drugs and his ailments persisted, a response, that prompted prosecuting lawyer to express disappointment with the attitude of the defence lawyers.
Oyedepo said: “This is what we kept complaining about. We are counsel in the temple of justice my Lord. I don’t know when I started experiencing a bitter part of my colleagues in this matter.
“I don’t think this is proper. As it stands now, our motion is ripe for hearing.”
Oyedepo, who accused the defendant of deploying dilatory tactics, said: “these tactics will not work,” following which he agreed to an adjournment.
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