Tinubu Dispatches Top Security Officials To US As Tension With Trump Escalates

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a high-powered security and diplomatic delegation to the United States as part of efforts to ease rising tensions between Abuja and the administration of US President Donald Trump.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is leading the delegation, which includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Doro.

Also on the team are the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced the development in a statement on Thursday.

The move follows intense engagements in Washington coordinated by the NSA, after the Trump administration designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and threatened direct military intervention over alleged persecution of Christians and worsening insecurity.

Ribadu’s team last week met senior US officials, including Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, and Congressman Riley Moore, who was mandated by President Trump to investigate the Nigerian security situation.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration, describing Nigeria as “a disgrace,” accusing the government of failing to curb killings across the country.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has nominated former NIA Director-General, Ambassador Ayodele Oke, as Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States, in what presidency insiders describe as a strategic diplomatic recalibration. Nominations were also made for missions in the United Kingdom and France.

Tinubu has urged the delegation to work closely with their American counterparts to ensure effective implementation of all agreed security and intelligence frameworks.