…Says Nigeria Open to Deeper Security Ties with U.S.
…President, Again, Vows to Defeat Terrorism, Banditry
By Abu Adamu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has described recent United States military airstrikes against Islamist militants in parts of northern Nigeria as a “welcome development,” signalling the Federal Government’s openness to deeper security collaboration with Washington in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News Digital during a week-long visit to the United States, Mrs. Tinubu said Nigeria was encouraged by the intervention and hoped it would mark the beginning of broader cooperation between both countries on security matters.
“The intervention of the U.S. was quite a welcome development,” she said. “Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration. We are expecting that there will be more.”
Her comments came against the backdrop of worsening insecurity across several parts of the country, as insurgents, bandits and kidnappers continue to carry out deadly attacks, abductions and raids on communities.
Mrs. Tinubu said the Nigerian government was deeply concerned about the safety of its citizens, noting that terrorist groups often hide in forests and remote areas while criminal gangs engage in kidnapping for ransom.
“We are concerned about our people’s safety,” she said, adding that the Federal Government had declared a nationwide security emergency and was implementing measures including the recruitment of 50,000 new police officers and the redeployment of over 11,000 personnel from VIP protection duties to conflict-prone areas.
The First Lady also addressed concerns raised in some US political circles about religious violence in Nigeria, insisting that insecurity in the country was not limited to any single faith or region.
Officials in Abuja, she said, had rejected claims that Nigeria persecutes Christians, arguing that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of extremist violence. She cited recent attacks in Muslim-majority communities where residents were targeted for rejecting extremist ideology.
The renewed attention on Nigeria’s security challenges, Mrs. Tinubu said, has helped open sustained dialogue between both countries.
“We have that attention. We have the conversation going. And we are expecting that there will be more. It’s going to yield better fruit for us, and also for America,” she said.
During meetings with senior US officials, she said she worked to explain Nigeria’s complex security realities, stressing that those on the ground best understood the nature of the threats confronting the country.
Beyond security, Mrs. Tinubu linked stability to economic recovery and foreign investment, noting that Nigeria’s deposits of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt had attracted growing interest from the United States, even as insecurity in mining regions remained a concern.
“We’re doing all we can to make sure that when investors come, they can feel comfortable and their investment can yield,” she said.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s resolve to defeat terrorism and banditry, describing insecurity as unacceptable and alien to Nigeria’s values.
Speaking while declaring open the Second National Economic Council (NEC) Conference at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President said terrorism was giving Nigerians sleepless nights but assured that the country would overcome the threat.
“That is what has kept all of us sleepless at night, but I assure you we will win with determination and resilience,” he said.
Tinubu also tasked the NEC to drive inclusive growth through the effective implementation of the Renewed Hope National Development Plan 2026–2030, stressing that insecurity remained a major obstacle to economic development.
While national leaders push for stronger security measures, incidents of violence continue to be reported across the country.
In Benue State, the police yesterday confirmed the abduction of nine worshippers during a night vigil at St. John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area. The state police command said tactical teams had been deployed to secure the release of the victims.
In Kaduna State, residents of Dan Hono II in Kaduna Millennium City staged a protest over a resurgence of kidnappings in the area, blocking the busy Yar’adua Road and demanding urgent action from security agencies.
Residents said armed men carried out a midnight raid, abducting a woman, her children and a private school proprietor, bringing the number of abductions in the community to at least 11 in the past two years.
The protesters warned that persistent insecurity was forcing families to consider relocation and threatening economic activities, as calls grow louder for decisive action to restore safety across the country.