The Defence Headquarters has said the planned withdrawal of about 200 United States military personnel from Nigeria will not weaken the longstanding security partnership between both countries.
The personnel were deployed to support intelligence, surveillance, training and logistics operations in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a joint security briefing involving security and law enforcement agencies.
Uba said the reported withdrawal should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the relationship between Nigeria and the United States.
According to him, the deployment of American personnel was linked to specific operational and counter-terrorism objectives, while other aspects of the partnership would continue.
“The relationship between Nigeria and the United States remains strong, enduring and mutually beneficial.
“The deployment of US personnel was tied to specific operational and counter-terrorism objectives and the decision to draw down personnel is therefore part of the evolving nature of that engagement.
“Elements of the US security partnership, particularly intelligence cooperation, training and information sharing, will continue,” he said.
The New York Times had reported that the United States was planning to withdraw some of its personnel from Nigeria. The commander of the United States Africa Command, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was also quoted as saying that “much of our forces” had been withdrawn.
Uba, however, stressed that Nigeria remained primarily responsible for defending its territory and protecting its citizens.
He explained that the partnership with the US was intended to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian security agencies through intelligence sharing, training, technical assistance and other forms of professional military cooperation.
“Where it is jointly assessed that additional efforts, including joint strikes, are required, we do that,” he added.
The Defence spokesman said the cooperation between both countries had continued to produce valuable results in the fight against terrorism and other transnational security threats.
He urged Nigerians and the media not to interpret a mission-specific adjustment in the presence of foreign military personnel as evidence that security cooperation between Nigeria and the US was collapsing.
Uba recalled that the deployment of American personnel in February followed an agreement between both countries after the United States conducted an operation against suspected Islamic State fighters.
He also clarified that the reported withdrawal of 200 US personnel from the Lake Chad Basin was separate from the 200 personnel deployed to Nigeria for joint intelligence and training operations against terrorists.
“The partnership between Nigeria and the US is unchanged, with key information sharing ongoing. Nigeria and the US continue to work closely together to disrupt and eliminate shared threats and that remains unchanged,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uba disclosed that the Nigerian military conducted 7,062 security operations across the country in July and August.
He said the operations resulted in the neutralisation of 1,487 terrorists and insurgents, while 777 kidnapped victims were rescued.
According to him, the operations involved coordinated land, air and maritime efforts targeting terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking, oil theft and other criminal activities.
He added that troops arrested 354 suspects and recovered 91 firearms, 1,331 rounds of ammunition and 44 improvised explosive devices.
Uba said troops under Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East neutralised 309 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters while arresting suspected collaborators and logistics facilitators.
He said sustained military pressure also forced some terrorists and their families to surrender, while hundreds of people held in terrorist enclaves were rescued.
The Air Component, he added, maintained combat support and reconnaissance operations to assist ground forces in locating and engaging hostile elements.
Uba further disclosed that the military conducted nine dialogue and peace-building initiatives and held 15 stakeholder engagement meetings with traditional and religious leaders.
He said the Defence Headquarters issued 137 press releases during the period and countered 13 cases of misinformation.
According to him, no major border or transnational security incident, critical infrastructure vandalism, prison break or threat to pipelines, railways and highways was recorded during the period.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and actionable intelligence.
The Nigeria Police Force also disclosed that its operatives neutralised 127 suspected criminals, rescued 383 kidnapped victims and arrested 1,334 suspects across the country during the period.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, gave the figures during the briefing.
He said police operations also led to the recovery of 175 firearms, more than 3,790 rounds of ammunition, 93 vehicles and several rustled cattle.
Iniedu said police tactical teams prevented a large-scale attack in Kebbi State after engaging about 240 armed bandits, with 17 of the attackers neutralised.
He added that a joint operation rescued 32 kidnapped victims at Maikujera in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to him, collaborative operations involving the police, vigilantes and other security agencies also resulted in the rescue of 76 victims across Kogi, Kaduna, Imo, Nasarawa and other states.
He said six victims were rescued after gunmen attacked two vehicles along the Kabba-Ayere Road, while nine others were rescued along the Mameramo-Adomu Road.
In another operation at Amla-Cho Forest, armed bandits abandoned 13 kidnapped victims who were subsequently rescued unharmed.
Iniedu also disclosed that police operatives disrupted the activities of an IPOB/ESN network in Imo State, neutralising a suspected kingpin and recovering two AK-47 rifles, four empty magazines and a vehicle.
He said other operations resulted in the recovery of 551 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 10 loaded magazines from a female suspect intercepted along the Doma-Yelwa Road.
Another operation, he added, led to the recovery of 870 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from suspected gun-runners.
The police spokesman further said three suspects linked to the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division were arrested, with two AK-47 rifles stolen during the incident recovered.
He said 18 other suspects were arrested in another operation, alongside 47 firearms, 12 stolen vehicles and 420 rounds of ammunition.
Police also arrested 37 suspected cult members during a disrupted initiation ceremony, while an anti-kidnapping operation led to the arrest of a native doctor allegedly linked to an earlier abduction and murder case.
The Nigeria Customs Service disclosed that it generated N1.38 trillion in revenue between July and August 2026.
The Service’s spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, said N784.65 billion was generated in July, while N595.58 billion was collected in August.
He attributed the revenue performance to technology-driven operations, improved trade facilitation and stronger border enforcement.
Maiwada said the Apapa Area Command recorded N323 billion in revenue in July, its highest monthly collection at the time, before setting a new single-day record of N28.1 billion on August 18.
He said the Service processed 90,985 Single Goods Declarations and 8,873 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports during the two-month period.
Export activities also recorded growth, with the Lilypond Export Command registering an export value of $792.57 million in the second quarter of 2026.
The figure represented a 24.35 per cent increase from the $599.60 million recorded during the corresponding period of 2025.
Agricultural exports rose to $422.09 million, while manufactured goods reached $350.67 million.
Collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme also increased by 9.52 per cent to N5.38 billion.
Maiwada said the command processed 9,322 export containers between July and August, covering agricultural products, manufactured goods, solid minerals and other commodities.
On anti-smuggling operations, he disclosed that Area Commands and Federal Operations Units recorded seizures with a combined Duty Paid Value exceeding N61.3 billion.
The seized items included petroleum products, cannabis, rice, sugar, controlled tablets, cigarettes, machinery and other prohibited goods.
Maiwada attributed the Service’s growing contribution to national security and economic stability to inter-agency collaboration and technology-driven enforcement.
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