By Kingsley Omonobi
The Defence Headquarters has said the planned withdrawal of about 200 United States military personnel deployed to Nigeria will not affect the longstanding security partnership between both countries.
The personnel were deployed to support intelligence, surveillance, training and logistics operations in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other security threats.
The Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a joint security news briefing involving security and law enforcement agencies.
Uba said the reported withdrawal should not be interpreted as a breakdown or termination of the Nigeria-US security relationship.
“The relationship between Nigeria and the United States remains strong, enduring and mutually beneficial.
“The deployment of US personnel was tied to specific operational and counter-terrorism objectives and the decision to draw down personnel is therefore part of the evolving nature of that engagement.
“Elements of the US security partnership, particularly intelligence cooperation, training and information sharing, will continue,” he said.
The New York Times had reported last week that the US was planning to withdraw some of its personnel from Nigeria, with the commander of the United States Africa Command, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, saying that “much of our forces” had been withdrawn.
Uba, however, said Nigeria remained primarily responsible for its own defence and the protection of its citizens, adding that cooperation with the US was designed to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian security forces.
He said the partnership included intelligence sharing, training, technical assistance and other forms of professional military cooperation.
“Where it is jointly assessed that additional efforts, including joint strikes, are required, we do that,” he added.
The Defence spokesman said the Nigeria-US partnership had continued to produce valuable outcomes in the fight against terrorism and other transnational security threats.
He urged the media and the public not to interpret a routine or mission-specific adjustment in foreign military presence as evidence of a collapse in Nigeria’s security cooperation or defence capability.
Uba recalled that the deployment of US personnel in February followed an agreement between the two countries after the US launched an operation against suspected Islamic State fighters.
He also clarified that the reported withdrawal of 200 US personnel from the Lake Chad Basin was separate from the 200 personnel deployed to Nigeria for joint intelligence and training operations against terrorists.
“The partnership between Nigeria and the US is unchanged, with key information sharing ongoing. Nigeria and the US continue to work closely together to disrupt and eliminate shared threats and that remains unchanged,” he said.
Military conducts 7,062 operations, neutralises 1,487 terrorists
Meanwhile, Uba said the Nigerian military conducted 7,062 security operations across the country in July and August, neutralising 1,487 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 777 kidnapped victims.
He said the operations were carried out through coordinated land, air and maritime efforts targeting terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking, oil theft and other criminal activities.
According to him, troops also arrested 354 suspects and recovered 91 firearms, 1,331 rounds of ammunition and 44 improvised explosive devices.
He said the operations also targeted separatist violence, crude oil theft, illegal refining and criminal networks.
In the North-East, he said troops under Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 309 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters and arrested several suspected collaborators and logistics facilitators.
He added that troops rescued hundreds of people held in terrorist enclaves, while sustained military pressure forced some terrorists and their families to surrender.
Uba said the Air Component maintained combat support and reconnaissance missions for ground forces, improving their ability to locate and engage hostile elements.
He said the military also conducted nine dialogue and peace-building initiatives and held 15 stakeholder engagement meetings with traditional and religious leaders.
The Defence Headquarters, he added, issued 137 press releases during the period and countered 13 instances of misinformation.
He said no major border or transnational security incident, critical infrastructure vandalism, prison break or threat to pipelines, railways and highways was recorded during the period.
Uba urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and provide timely and actionable intelligence to security agencies.
Police neutralise 127 criminals, rescue 383 kidnapped victims
The Force Headquarters also disclosed that police operatives neutralised 127 suspected criminals, rescued 383 kidnapped victims and arrested 1,334 suspects across the country in July and August.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, disclosed this at the briefing, saying the operations also resulted in the recovery of 175 firearms, more than 3,790 rounds of ammunition, 93 vehicles and several rustled cattle.
He said police tactical teams prevented a large-scale attack after engaging a group of about 240 armed bandits in Kebbi State, where 17 of the assailants were neutralised.
Iniedu added that a joint operation rescued 32 kidnapped victims at Maikujera in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
He said collaborative operations involving the police, vigilantes and other security agencies also led to the rescue of 76 victims in Kogi, Kaduna, Imo, Nasarawa and other states.
According to him, six victims were rescued after gunmen attacked two vehicles along the Kabba-Ayere Road, while nine others were rescued along the Mameramo-Adomu Road.
He said another operation at Amla-Cho Forest forced armed bandits to abandon 13 kidnapped victims, who were rescued unhurt.
The police spokesman said operatives also disrupted the activities of an IPOB/ESN network in Imo State, neutralising a suspected kingpin and recovering two AK-47 rifles, four empty magazines and a vehicle.
He said police operations further led to the recovery of 551 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 10 loaded magazines from a female suspect intercepted along the Doma-Yelwa Road.
He added that 870 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered from suspected gun-runners in another operation.
Iniedu said three suspects linked to the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division were arrested, with two AK-47 rifles stolen during the incident recovered.
He said another operation led to the arrest of 18 suspects and the recovery of 47 firearms, 12 stolen vehicles and 420 rounds of ammunition.
He added that 37 suspected cult members were arrested during a disrupted initiation ceremony, while an anti-kidnapping operation led to the arrest of a native doctor allegedly linked to an earlier abduction and murder case.
Customs generates N1.38tn in two months
The Nigeria Customs Service, on its part, said it generated N1.38 trillion in revenue between July and August 2026.
The Service’s spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this at the briefing, saying N784.65 billion was generated in July, while N595.58 billion was collected in August.
According to him, the revenue performance was driven by technology-based operations, improved trade facilitation and enhanced border enforcement.
The Apapa Area Command, he said, recorded a monthly revenue of N323 billion in July, its highest ever, before setting a new single-day collection record of N28.1 billion on August 18.
Maiwada said the Service processed 90,985 Single Goods Declarations and 8,873 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports during the two months.
He said export operations also recorded growth, with the Lilypond Export Command posting an export value of $792.57 million in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 24.35 per cent increase over the $599.60 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
He said agricultural exports rose to $422.09 million, while manufactured goods increased to $350.67 million.
Collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme, he added, rose by 9.52 per cent to N5.38 billion.
Maiwada said the command processed 9,322 export containers between July and August, containing agricultural produce, manufactured goods, solid minerals and other commodities.
On anti-smuggling operations, he said Area Commands and Federal Operations Units recorded seizures with a combined Duty Paid Value of more than N61.3 billion.
He said the seizures included petroleum products, cannabis, rice, sugar, controlled tablets, cigarettes, machinery and other prohibited goods.
Maiwada attributed the Service’s growing contribution to national security and economic stability to inter-agency collaboration and technology-driven enforcement.
The post US troop drawdown won’t weaken Nigeria security ties — DHQ appeared first on Vanguard News.