Nigeria Ready to Work with US to Defeat Terrorism, FG Insists Despite US Snub
By: Abudu Olalekan
The Federal Government is pushing back hard. Very hard. Nigeria is prepared to partner closely with the United States. They want to work with any international ally, truthfully, if it means eliminating terrorism for good. Simple. But there’s friction. Significant friction. The core message from the government is clear: despite being recently branded by the US as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC)—a designation regarding alleged religious freedom violations—Nigeria is actually winning the war.
The fight is serious. We are making progress.
Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, stood up in Abuja on Wednesday. He spoke to journalists, defending the nation’s security record. He said this US categorization? It is based on a complete misreading of our realities. Misinformation. He says the violence here is not targeted. Terrorism is blind. It hits Christians and Muslims indiscriminatesly. We mourn every single life lost.
Extremism, the Minister insisted, does not care about your religion, your tribe, or your social class. Any narrative suggesting the Nigerian State is just sitting on its hands, failing to act against religious attacks, is absolutely based on faulty data. End of discussion.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Idris emphasized, has demonstrated real political will. Strong will. He wants to confront terrorism head-on. And it is yielding results. Significant operational gains are happening across the country.
The numbers are huge. They tell the true story. Since May 2023, the Minister provided the official tally: Nigerian security forces have neutralized over 13,500 terrorists. Think about that. Seventeen thousand plus suspects have been arrested. They also rescued almost 9,800 abducted victims. Almost ten thousand lives are back home because of these operations. This is hard work.
And the surrenders? The tally is mind-boggling, truthfully. More than 124,000 insurgents and their families have quit the fight. They surrendered to Nigerian forces, handing over thousands of weapons in the process. Major terror leaders in both the North-West and the ravaged North-East are gone. They have been eliminated. Poof. Done.
Even in the troubled South-East, Idris claimed, terror attacks have dropped by almost eighty per cent. Massive progress, thanks to coordinated joint operations. But the challenges don’t magically disappear. The North-Central still battles farmer-herder clashes and resource competition. It’s complex stuff, made worse by climate change pressures. Very complex.
The government changed Service Chiefs recently. A big, necessary shakeup. Why the restructuring? Idris explained it was to inject new energy. To bring in innovation. To demand accountability into Nigeria’s security strategy. They need results now. Fast.
International cooperation remains totally critical, though. Idris highlighted the relationship with Washington. They delivered the Super Tucano aircraft. Nigeria is also buying those fierce AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. That is productive collaboration. That is partnership.
But Washington needs to listen better. They must engage Nigeria constructively. They really need to appreciate this complex security environment we live in. We are constantly dealing with regional crises in the Sahel. Illegal arms flood in here since the collapse of Libya. It is a messy neighborhood we did not create, but we must protect our nation from it. He urged partners to look at Nigeria’s situation with understanding. Constructive engagement. That is the only real path to stability, he insists.
Idris assured the public that the Tinubu administration remains firmly committed to protecting all constitutional freedoms, including religious liberty. National security comes first, naturally. But liberty matters too. They will not relent. Not until the remnants of these “hounds of death” are permanently removed from Nigerian soil. Nigeria is in steady hands. Capable hands. President Tinubu is leading the charge to strengthen the security architecture and pursue shared prosperity. We are serious about this. Reportersroom confirmed the government’s continued commitment to this US partnership, hoping the miscommunication is finally cleared up.
