Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker hosted the second Joint Working Group (JWG) with a Nigerian delegation led by Nigerian National Security Advisor Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in Washington on August 12, 2026. The engagement builds on progress made since the first session held in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 22, 2026.
Discussions centered on three priority areas: protecting Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt, holding perpetrators of violence accountable by strengthening judicial and security institutions, and military-to-military cooperation. Under Secretary Hooker and the Nigerian delegation reviewed progress on internally displaced persons' (IDP) resettlement to their ancestral homes, counterterrorism prosecutions, and combatting the financing of terrorism. The JWG identified continuing challenges, including reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency. Discussions on military-to-military cooperation continue today at the Pentagon.
The United States noted Nigeria's reported efforts to date, including the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) suspects, expansion of judicial capacity, and recruitment and training of 50,000 additional police officers. Both sides acknowledged that more work lies ahead, particularly with supporting IDPs. The two sides also discussed continued cooperation on countering terrorism financing, biometric information sharing to support accountability measures, and law enforcement capacity building through the Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT).
Under Secretary Hooker separately met with NSA Ribadu to further advance bilateral priorities and reaffirm the United States' commitment to working with Nigeria to protect Christian communities and to deepen joint security cooperation.
