President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says the French Government has promised to assist Nigeria with training and equipment necessary to combat terrorism in the country. The president said on Sunday that he secured the pledge from France in a phone conversation with President Emmanuel Macron last week.
The Nigerian leader made this known yesterday at a meeting with All Progressives Congress, APC Governors, at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence.
The development comes on the heels of last week’s deployment, by the United States, US of drones and military personnel to assist Nigeria in its ongoing war against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists mostly in Northern part of the country.
The president also spoke following the recent suicide bombings in Borno state, by suspected Boko Haram/ ISWAP terrorists. The incident which occurred on March 16, 2026, left at least 23 people dead, with over 100 others seriously injured.
The magazine reports that the president marked the end of the Muslim fast also known as the Eid-el-Fitr in Lagos.
According to Tinubu, Nigeria is ready to leverage on its goodwill with other friendly countries to secure all the support required to fight insurgency, saying his government will not relent until the threats posed to the nation by insurgents are totally defeated, calling on Nigerians to support him in this quest.
Tinubu: “I can report to you that, again yesterday, during a lengthy discussion with Emmanuel Macron, they pledged collaboration with us on equipment and support.
“I am making efforts to reach other nations. If we have to utilise our goodwill and line of credit, we have partners willing to support us with equipment and training.
“The next phase of our struggle is the challenge of insecurity. We must work together to achieve victory.”
Last week, the US deployed multiple MQ-9 drones alongside around 200 troops to Nigeria to provide intelligence and training in support of Nigerian military in its ongoing fight against insurgents across the northern region of the country.
According to details gathered by the magazine, the operation is strictly focused on surveillance and advisory support, with no US personnel embedded in frontline units and no drone airstrikes being conducted.
“The U.S. military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military,” U.S. and Nigerian officials told Reuters.
Reuters further reported that the deployment was requested by Nigerian authorities to help identify, track, and respond to terrorist threats in the region.pact4 / 1:01
“We see this as a shared security threat,” a U.S. defence official told Reuters, underscoring that the mission is limited to intelligence collection and advisory support.
Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that U.S. forces are operating from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders. Our U.S. partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities,” he said.
The MQ-9 drones, sometimes called Reaper drones, are capable of loitering at high altitude for more than 27 hours and can perform both intelligence gathering and strike missions.
The US and Nigerian officials clarified that the aircraft currently in Nigeria are being used exclusively for surveillance. “Our US forces are helping Nigeria identify, track and respond to terrorist threats,” Uba said, without elaborating on specific operations.
The deployment comes amid escalating violence in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest. On March 16, suicide bombers attacked a garrison town in the northeast, underscoring the continued threat from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“We continue to assess that these organisations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks,” Uba told journalists.
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