• Washington reviews counterterrorism prosecutions, others
•Says more work needed to protect Christians, resettle IDPs
Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria and the United States have begun fresh moves to address the West African nation’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), with both countries reviewing progress on religious freedom, accountability for perpetrators of violence and security cooperation.
The development followed the second session of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group, hosted in Washington on Wednesday by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, and attended by a Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The meeting built on the outcome of the first session of the Joint Working Group held in Abuja on January 22, 2026, as both countries intensified efforts to address concerns that led to the CPC designation.
According to a media note issued yesterday by the US Department of State, the discussions focused 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.
The US and Nigerian officials also reviewed progress on the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes, counterterrorism prosecutions and efforts to combat the financing of terrorism.
However, the United States pointed to continuing challenges, including reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency, underscoring the need for further action by the Nigerian government.
The US government said it had taken note of Nigeria’s efforts so far, particularly the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) suspects, expansion of judicial capacity and the recruitment and training of 50,000 additional police officers.
“Both sides acknowledged that more work lies ahead, particularly with supporting IDPs,” the State Department said.
The discussions also covered continued cooperation in countering terrorism financing, biometric information sharing to strengthen accountability measures and law enforcement capacity building.
The State Department said such capacity building would be undertaken through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and Bureau of Counterterrorism.
The two countries also continued discussions on military-to-military cooperation at the Pentagon yesterday, as Washington and Abuja seek to deepen their security partnership.
Separately, Hooker met with 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.”
The latest engagement is part of efforts by both countries to address US concerns over religious freedom and insecurity in Nigeria, particularly the protection of Christian communities in the Middle Belt.
The CPC designation has remained a sensitive issue in Nigeria-US relations, with Abuja seeking to demonstrate that it is taking concrete steps to protect citizens, prosecute perpetrators of violence and strengthen institutions responsible for security and justice.