The planned US troop drawdown from Nigeria will not weaken the country’s longstanding security partnership with the United States, the Defence Headquarters has said.
The clarification came amid reports that about 200 US military personnel deployed to Nigeria would be withdrawn.
The personnel have been supporting intelligence, surveillance, training and logistics operations against terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this Tuesday in Abuja during a joint security briefing involving defence, security and law-enforcement agencies.
Uba said the US troop drawdown should not be viewed as a breakdown in bilateral security cooperation.
According to him, the relationship between Nigeria and the United States remains strong and mutually beneficial.
He explained that the deployment was linked to specific operational and counter-terrorism objectives, making adjustments to the deployment part of the evolving partnership.
He added that intelligence cooperation, training and information sharing would continue despite the reduction in personnel.
The New York Times had earlier reported plans by the US to withdraw some personnel from Nigeria.
Uba, however, stressed that Nigeria remained primarily responsible for defending its territory and protecting its citizens.
He said American support was intended to strengthen the capabilities of Nigerian security forces through intelligence sharing, technical assistance, training and professional military cooperation.
The Defence spokesman also clarified that the reported withdrawal of 200 personnel from the Lake Chad Basin was separate from the personnel deployed to Nigeria for intelligence and training operations.
He said the Nigeria-US partnership remained unchanged, with both countries continuing to cooperate against shared security threats.
Meanwhile, Uba disclosed that Nigerian military forces conducted 7,062 operations nationwide during July and August.
He said the operations resulted in 1,487 terrorists and insurgents being neutralised, while 777 kidnapped victims were rescued.
The operations targeted terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking, oil theft and other criminal activities.
According to him, troops also arrested 354 suspects and recovered 91 firearms, 1,331 rounds of ammunition and 44 improvised explosive devices.
In the North-East, Operation Hadin Kai troops reportedly neutralised 309 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.
Uba said military pressure also led some terrorists and their families to surrender.
The Nigeria Police Force also reported significant operational gains during the period.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, said police operatives neutralised 127 suspected criminals, arrested 1,334 suspects and rescued 383 kidnapped victims.
The operations also produced the recovery of 175 firearms, over 3,790 rounds of ammunition, 93 vehicles and rustled cattle.
In Kebbi, police tactical teams reportedly prevented a major attack after engaging about 240 armed bandits, killing 17 of them.
Other operations across Sokoto, Kogi, Kaduna, Imo and Nasarawa resulted in the rescue of additional kidnapping victims.
The Nigeria Customs Service, meanwhile, recorded N1.38 trillion in revenue between July and August 2026.
Its spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, said N784.65 billion was generated in July and N595.58 billion in August.
He attributed the performance to technology-driven operations, improved trade facilitation and stronger border enforcement.
The Apapa Area Command generated N323 billion in July, its highest monthly collection, before recording a single-day revenue record of N28.1 billion on August 18.
Maiwada also disclosed that customs commands recorded seizures with a combined Duty Paid Value exceeding N61.3 billion.
The seizures included petroleum products, rice, sugar, cannabis, cigarettes, controlled tablets and other prohibited goods.
Despite the US troop drawdown, the Defence Headquarters maintained that Nigeria’s security cooperation with Washington remains intact, while domestic security agencies continue operations against criminal threats nationwide.
