Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appointed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro; and others to represent the country in the newly established US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, created to address security challenges in Nigeria.
The creation of the Joint Working Group was agreed during a recent visit to Washington, D.C., where a Nigerian delegation headed by Ribadu met with senior US officials amid rising concern over the scale of violence unfolding across Nigeria.
Ribadu will lead the Nigerian delegation, supported by what the presidency described as a “multi-agency, multi-stakeholder team” of senior government figures. Members include Humanitarian Affairs Minister Bernard Doro, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede, National Intelligence Agency Director-General Mohammed Mohammed, and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
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Ms. Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser and Mr. Paul Alabi of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington will serve as joint secretaries.
Announcing the appointments, President Tinubu directed the team to “work diligently and collaboratively” with US security officials to ensure the “effective and timely implementation” of all agreed initiatives.
Tinubu’s diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and the United States comes at a time when the country is facing one of its most volatile security periods in years. In recent weeks, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in mass kidnappings, and insurgent attacks.
Recently, gunmen abducted 315 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State. Earlier that week, 25 schoolgirls were seized from a boarding school in Kebbi State. Churches have also been targeted, with kidnappers shooting and abducting worshippers during services.
The wave of abductions has forced school closures in several states,and intensified concerns about the government’s ability to protect civilians.
Tinubu Declares Nationwide Security Emergency
Against this backdrop, Tinubu this week declared a nationwide security emergency, directing the military and police to recruit thousands of additional personnel to reinforce overstretched security units.
He authorised the police to hire 20,000 new officers, raising the force to 50,000, and ordered National Youth Service Corps camps to be converted into temporary training centres. Officers currently assigned to VIP protection duties will be withdrawn and redeployed to conflict zones following “crash retraining,” the presidency said.
Tinubu also urged parliament to revise legislation to allow states to establish their own police forces and called on churches and mosques to request additional security personnel during gatherings.
Expressing sympathy to the families of recent victims, he paid tribute to soldiers killed in operations, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba. “Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness,” he warned.
The new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group will be expected to confront these challenges head-on, from strengthening intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism coordination to enhancing border security, arms control, and community-level early-warning systems.
For Nigeria, the initiative represents a strategic effort to secure more robust international support at a time when domestic institutions are under intense pressure.
