Defence Minister says Nigerian armed forces remain in full command of operations...

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has assured Nigerians that the country’s armed forces remain fully in charge of all military operations within national territory, despite the presence of United States troops.

Musa clarified that American personnel currently in Nigeria are operating strictly in a support capacity.

“The Americans are in Nigeria on a purely training assistance and advisory role,” he said, while stressing that the “armed forces of Nigeria will be in command of all operations conducted within the nation’s territory”.

CBI News reports that the minister made the remarks while presiding over the maiden edition of the ‘Monthly Operational Briefing’ at the Ministry of Defence conference room in Abuja on Wednesday.

His comments were conveyed in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Timothy Antigha.

During the briefing, Musa reviewed ongoing military operations across the country, assessed prevailing security threats and offered what the statement described as “strategic guidance to the armed services”.

Antigha noted that the minister commended the professionalism, resilience and gallantry of Nigerian troops, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to improving troop welfare and enhancing operational efficiency.

In February, the United States deployed ground troops to Nigeria under a new security cooperation framework between both nations.

The development followed a military collaboration agreement signed after U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC), a move that prompted closer defence engagement between the two countries.