UNITED States President Donald Trump does not believe Nigeria is serious about eliminating terrorists, reliable source from the White House told Economy Post.
One source noted that President Trump and other Republicans were still convinced that there was Christian genocide in Nigeria and the government of President Bola Tinubu wasn’t serious about eliminating terroriism, especially ISIS in Christian-dominated regions of the North.
“President Trump believes Nigeria isn’t really doing anything to eliminate terrorists. You know their bases, but you aren’t doing any damn thing,” a source said.
A Nigerian Republican, who has ties with the White House, said: “Nobody believes the ‘trash’ that Nigeria can’t fight the terrorists. It is unbelievable that terrorists have an upper hand in this fight, which explains why Trump has ordered the deloyment the military to Nigeria.”
US military deploys team to Nigeria
Meanwhile, the United States military has confirmed the deployment of a small team of troops to Nigeria, marking a new phase in security cooperation between Washington and Abuja as both countries intensify efforts to combat terrorism.
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According to a Reuters report, the commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin R. M. Anderson, said the decision followed recent high-level discussions in which both governments agreed that closer military collaboration was necessary to address growing security threats in Nigeria.
Mr Anderson described the contingent as a ‘small team’ equipped with ‘unique capabilities’ but declined to disclose details about its size, exact role, or location. He said the deployment was part of a broader framework to strengthen counter-terrorism operations and improve intelligence-sharing between the two countries.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations, including a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Mr Anderson said.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Gen Christopher Musa, separately confirmed that U.S. personnel were currently operating in the country, though he also declined to provide further information on their mission or scope.
The development follows U.S. airstrikes carried out in December on what President Donald Trump described as Islamic State targets in Nigeria. Trump has since indicated that additional military action could follow if security conditions do not improve.
Before the airstrikes, the United States had been conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighbouring Ghana since at least late November 2025. Analysts say this points to a steady expansion of intelligence and military cooperation between the two countries.
While U.S. officials have not released operational details, they said the deployed team is focused primarily on intelligence support and assisting Nigerian forces battling terrorist-linked groups.
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The new deployment represents the first official confirmation that U.S. troops are on the ground in Nigeria since the December strikes. Those operations came after months of Nigeria allowing U.S. intelligence flights over its territory, signalling a shift toward closer bilateral security coordination.
Washington has been pressing Abuja to strengthen its response to extremist violence, particularly after Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christian communities from Islamist militants operating in the North-West region. The Nigerian government has rejected claims of religious persecution, insisting that security forces are targeting armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.
Nigeria continues to face serious security challenges from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which have intensified attacks on civilians and military convoys. Although the North-East remains the historic base of the insurgency, violence has increasingly spread to the North-West.
AFRICOM said the December strike, carried out in Sokoto State in coordination with Nigerian authorities, killed several ISIS militants. The operation followed Trump’s warnings in late October 2025 that Christianity faces an ‘existential threat’ in Nigeria, remarks that were accompanied by threats of possible U.S. military intervention.
Despite the controversy surrounding those statements, both governments maintain that the renewed cooperation is aimed at dismantling extremist networks and improving regional stability in West Africa.
