Nigeria and the United States have opened a fresh round of discussions aimed at addressing concerns surrounding Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, with attention focused on religious freedom, accountability for violent attacks and security cooperation.
The talks took place during the second session of the United States Nigeria Joint Working Group in Washington. The Nigerian delegation was led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, while the American side was hosted by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.
The meeting followed the first session of the group held in Abuja in January 2026 and examined progress made since then.
According to the United States Department of State, the discussions centred on the protection of Christian communities in the Middle Belt, prosecution of those responsible for violence and stronger cooperation between the two countries’ security institutions.
Officials also reviewed efforts to return internally displaced persons to their communities, improve counterterrorism prosecutions and disrupt terrorism financing.
Washington acknowledged steps already taken by Nigeria, including the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa suspects, expansion of judicial capacity and the recruitment and training of 50,000 additional police officers.
The United States nevertheless said more work was required, particularly in supporting displaced persons, reducing civilian casualties and improving transparency in humanitarian spending.
The talks also covered biometric information sharing, law enforcement capacity building and continued military cooperation.
Separate meetings at the Pentagon focused on strengthening defence ties and expanding collaboration against terrorism.
The engagement reflects ongoing efforts by Abuja to demonstrate progress on religious freedom, public safety and accountability while Washington continues to assess the conditions that led to the CPC designation.
