Nigeria: U.S. Flags Civilian Deaths, Funding Gaps As Nigeria Pushes for CPC Delisting

What the report says

The United States said Nigeria still faces significant obstacles to being removed from Washington’s Country of Particular Concern list, even as the Nigerian government points to wider counterterrorism efforts. According to a Vanguard report distributed by AllAfrica, the latest US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting took place in Washington on Tuesday, following an earlier session in Abuja in January 2026. The Nigerian delegation was led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, while the US side was hosted by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.

The discussions focused on protecting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, improving accountability through stronger judicial and security institutions, and expanding military-to-military cooperation. Both sides also reviewed progress on counterterrorism prosecutions, police recruitment, resettlement of internally displaced people, efforts against terror financing, biometric information sharing and broader law enforcement support. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the talks were meant to assess progress and shape the next phase of security cooperation.

The US, however, said concerns remain over civilian deaths linked to terrorism and gaps in transparency around humanitarian spending, especially for IDP support. That means Nigeria’s push for CPC delisting is likely to depend not only on prosecutions and security reforms, but also on whether Washington sees measurable improvement in civilian protection and aid delivery. Separately, a US lobbying firm hired by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar dismissed the meeting as having limited political impact, but that view was not part of the official US-Nigeria statement.