President Bola Tinubu on Sunday met with Keith Heffern, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Nigeria, Dagvin Anderson, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), senior AFRICOM officials, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and Nigeria’s service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Although details of the meeting were not immediately available, those in attendance included Command Sergeant Major Garric M. Banfield, Command Senior Enlisted Leader, United States Africa Command, and AFRICOM’s Senior Foreign Policy Adviser, Ambassador Peter Vrooman.
Viral photographs from the meeting, released by the State House Media Department, indicated that the AFRICOM delegation paid a visit to President Tinubu on Sunday.
Read Also: Senate to hold emergency plenary amid fresh tensions over Electoral Act amendment
Recall that following plans by United States President Donald Trump to tackle insecurity in Nigeria, Anderson had recently disclosed that the US President approved the deployment of a military team to the country.
The US President had, on Christmas Day, launched attacks against Islamic militants in Sokoto, killing dozens of the terrorists, and vowed to follow up with further military action as part of efforts to end terrorism in Nigeria.
Presidency sources said the visit by the AFRICOM team was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen US plans to curb terrorist activities, particularly as the groups increasingly focus on soft targets, ravage innocent communities, and exploit ungoverned spaces to advance their aims.
BusinessDay gathered that, in addition to briefing President Bola Tinubu on their activities, the delegation also received vital information from the Nigerian government expected to aid their operations while in the country.
