The meeting, hosted by Pete Hegseth, US secretary of war,
was attended by a delegation of security leaders from Nigeria led by Nuhu
Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA).

Their meeting took place the same day US congress
deliberated on allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

According to a readout issued by Sean Parnell, assistant to
the US secretary of war for public affairs, both countries discussed ways to
make “tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and
combatting West African jihadist terrorist groups”.

“Secretary Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to
demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop
violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by,
with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the
United States,” the statement reads.

US President Donald Trump had threatened to instruct the
department of war to send troops into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” to “wipe
out the Islamic Terrorists” he said were killing Christians.

Ribadu, on the directives of President Bola Tinubu, led a
high-level delegation to the US on the matter.

The delegation comprised Bianca Ojukwu, minister of state
for foreign affairs; Kayode Egbetokun, inspector general of police (IGP);
Lateef Fagbemi, attorney general of the federation (AGF) and minister of
justice; and Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff (CDS).

The team had also met with Riley Moore, a member of the US
house of representatives, in Washington.