Around 100 U.S. military personnel have arrived in Nigeria as Washington expands its operations against Islamist insurgents, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s defence headquarters said on Monday.
The deployment comes amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of Nigeria’s security response in its northern regions. U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christian communities from Islamist militants operating in the northwest.
Nigeria has rejected claims of religious discrimination, stating that its security forces target armed groups regardless of religious affiliation and protect both Christian and Muslim civilians.
The United States carried out airstrikes against Islamic State-linked militants in December, and a small U.S. military team has already been operating in Nigeria to strengthen intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities.
Flight tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows several aircraft carrying U.S. personnel and military equipment arriving in Nigeria’s northern states in recent days.
Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, said the newly arrived troops would focus on training and advising Nigerian forces and would not be involved in direct combat operations.
Earlier this month, Nigeria’s military said it expected the arrival of up to 200 additional U.S. troops.
Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare said Nigeria required “massive support from the U.S. government,” particularly in fighter jets and munitions, but did not provide details on quantities or delivery timelines.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with around 240 million people, is roughly evenly divided between Christians, who are predominantly in the south, and Muslims, who are mainly concentrated in the north.
While authorities acknowledge serious security challenges posed by Islamist fighters and other armed groups, the government maintains that Christians do not face widespread or systematic persecution.