200 US Troops In Nigeria To Provide Advisory Support – DHQ

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said the deployment of 200 US troops is at the request of the federal government to provide advisory support at various locations.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, told LEADERSHIP that the US soldiers would not serve in a combat capacity.

He added that the Nigerian Armed Forces retained full command authority and would lead all missions.

Major General Uba, responding to an inquiry on the deployment, said it is “at the request and invitation of the Government of Nigeria, and consistent with the recommendations of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group, Nigeria will host United States technical and training service troops who will provide advisory support at various locations across Nigeria.

“These personnel will not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role. Nigerian forces will retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory.”

A U.S. official on Tuesday said that the Pentagon planned to deploy 200 soldiers to train Nigerian forces fighting Islamist militants, weeks after President Donald Trump ordered against what he described as Islamic State targets.

Last week, the U.S. military confirmed it had sent a small team to Nigeria, without giving details, marking Washington’s first acknowledgement of personnel on the ground since the Christmas Day strikes.

Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, told Reuters that Abuja requested the U.S. presence to provide technical training and advisory work at several locations.

“These personnel do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role,” Uba said. “Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory.”

He declined to say when the troops would arrive, but said the deployment formed part of ongoing cooperation under the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group.

Washington has stepped up pressure on Nigeria after Trump accused the West African nation of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants in the northwest. Nigeria rejects allegations of religious persecution, saying its security forces target armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.

U.S. Republican lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill requiring the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress on U.S. efforts to address what they called “ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities against Christians in Nigeria”.

The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 is sponsored by Riley Moore, who led a congressional delegation to Nigeria in December and has criticised the government for not doing enough to protect Christian communities.