General Dagvin Anderson: Advancing Nigeria-US Counterterrorism Cooperation through AFRICOM

General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the seventh commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), has described the security partnership between Nigeria and the United States as strong and productive, citing the impact of joint counterterrorism efforts, including a reported increase of more than 200 per cent in ISIS defections following a May 2026 operation. In an exclusive interview with THISDAY on the sidelines of the just concluded Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) 2026 in Lagos, General Anderson discussed the gains from intelligence sharing and operational cooperation between the two countries, the need to strengthen regional security collaboration and the importance of addressing governance and development challenges alongside military operations in the fight against terrorism. Chiemelie Ezeobi brings excerpts:

How would you assess the current security partnership between the United States and Nigeria, particularly in the fight against terrorism, insurgency and banditry?

** I **think we’ve got an exceptionally good relationship right now, and we’ve been able to work together very well. I know the most public operation was what happened in May, but the partnership with the Nigerian Armed Forces and Nigerian intelligence was exceptional, and that’s what really enabled that partnership to happen and to take out the number two terrorist in the world for ISIS, and probably one of the most active terrorists in the world.

And that, to me, the importance of that is the impact that’s had on the global ISIS network, and then the continued partnership that we’ve been able to build with Nigeria afterwards, and the incredible operations that Nigeria has continued to prosecute against ISIS post-operation.

So I think right now, the relationship is very strong, and I look forward to continuing to develop it.

What specific support is the United States providing Nigeria to combat Boko Haram, ISWAP and other terrorist groups operating in the North-East and North-West?

So really, we look at what are those unique capabilities that the United States can bring. So some of it is intelligence, but also understanding of the terrorist network globally. And so Nigeria brings the regional and local understanding, while we bring the global network understanding, and together that becomes very powerful.

And then there’s some specialized capabilities that the U.S. can help provide, and then just the experience. We’ve been fighting terrorism for over 20 years. We’ve learned a lot about how to integrate intelligence and operations, and how to make those operations more effective.

And so that’s really what we’ve brought to Nigeria, because Nigeria has a very capable and professional military. And so it’s been very easy for us to partner with them and engage in a very constructive way, and then look at some areas where, from our experience over several decades of fighting terrorism, we can help with the training and expertise for Nigeria.

But the ultimate goal is to help Nigeria to take care of the issue and be able to defend their own borders. And I think what we bring is just a very small piece, but it’s an important piece.

Nigeria has received international security assistance for years, particularly under the Trump administration. However, terrorism, banditry and mass kidnappings remain persistent threats. What, specifically, must change in the US–Nigeria security partnership to deliver more tangible results for Nigerians?

So, some of it is what we provide in the military is the security foundation and some of the basic security. But ultimately, for terrorism and insecurity, it needs to be an investment in governance, an investment in development.

And to me, one of the things we’re exploring is how do we talk to commerce and industry more to look at what are those commercial opportunities that can create a market-driven development that can create sustainable growth and sustainable opportunity?

And just the demographics of the entirety of the continent and Nigeria, the number of youth is growing rapidly. And so how do we look at ways to create opportunity so they don’t have to turn to terrorism or illegal activity?

And so that’s not really what we in the military do directly. We can help with that security foundation to set conditions for that stability, because the stability is what allows investment and eventual prosperity.

** Given the evolving security threats in the Sahel and the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS, how is AFRICOM working with Nigeria to prevent terrorist groups from exploiting the regional security gaps created by these withdrawals?**

So, we are continuing to try to open dialogue with the AES states in the Sahel. So previously, we had very good relationships with Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

We are looking to reopen that dialogue because we have a common threat. I’m very heartened by what’s happened recently in Senegal, where ECOWAS and the AES states have met. I think that dialogue is going to be critical to bring them back into the fold of the West African community.

And then for AFRICOM, again, what is it we can bring that’s unique from the U.S. and be able to engage with these partners to help provide some of the intelligence and understanding, and then to help them with some of the training as we’ve done in the past? So, I do think there’s an opportunity, but we need to reestablish the dialogue and communications first.

** US military assistance to Nigeria covers intelligence-sharing, surveillance technology, military equipment and specialised training. Are there new areas of cooperation being considered to help Nigeria address growing insecurity in the North-West and North-Central regions, beyond the traditional focus on the North-East?**

Yes. So, the raid in May was in the North-East, in Borno State. That was in the Lake Chad Basin. And so we’ve been working with the Nigerian Armed Forces, really, where they see the best benefit.

So where we’ve been working is primarily up in the North-East and in the North-West. And then part of it is how do we look at the transit of the terrorists and interdict that? And so working with the local authorities as well to stop the flow of terrorist activity and movement.

Beyond operational support, what additional assistance can AFRICOM provide to disrupt terrorist financing, arms trafficking and the movement of foreign fighters across Nigeria’s borders?

That’s a very difficult challenge. That is a big one, and that’s probably one of the most critical areas to look at: how do we cut off the financing or interdict that financing?

And so, again, this is where the partnership is really important, because we understand some things from a global scale and how ISIS and al-Qaeda move their money, and we have some cyber capabilities to look at that.

But then it’s really understanding locally how are they moving the money, how are they laundering the money, or where is that money moving? And so that information sharing and that dialogue is absolutely critical to start interdicting and disrupting their finances.

In practical terms, we bring expertise and understanding from across the global enterprise. And then we have unique cyber tools that we can apply to the global networks. And then working with Nigeria to help them accentuate or improve the impact of those capabilities here locally. So I think it’s a two-fold effort.

Given Nigeria’s strategic position in the Gulf of Guinea, what additional support can AFRICOM provide to the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies to tackle maritime insecurity, protect critical offshore infrastructure and prevent criminal networks from exploiting the region’s waters?

So in maritime domain awareness, understanding what’s happening out in not just the territorial waters, but out in the economic zone, is I think critical.

We see many illicit activities happen out there, from piracy to smuggling, to drug trafficking. We also see illegal fishing and other things that are taking livelihoods away from the local populations.

So just having an understanding of what’s happening out there, we think is critically important.

We have, from the United States government, invested or helped invest across West Africa in that maritime domain awareness, from maritime operation centres to radars, to also harnessing some of the new technologies and tools that can help create an awareness of what’s happening in that space.

And then, once you understand what’s in that space, what needs to be developed in order to disrupt it or to interdict it? And then that’s where we can partner with individual nations to see what can be most effective.

How will the United States and Nigeria measure the effectiveness of their security cooperation? Is there a mechanism for assessing progress, identifying gaps and adjusting their joint strategy when expected results are not achieved?

Sometimes they’re easier to measure, sometimes they’re harder. But there’s a gamut, I think. You need to look across different indicators to see if you’re having success.

So one: how many folks are joining these organisations?

The second, that we’ve seen since the operation in May, is over a 200 per cent increase in the number of defectors from ISIS.

So I think that’s a measure of success, that folks are looking at this and saying, “This organisation, I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”

And the fact that Nigeria has a programme to bring them back into society and reintegrate them is important.

And so those are areas of success.

Obviously, reduction in attacks and violence, reduction in criminality—all of that are indicators, but a lot of those take time, and they lag the actual events.

So I think part of it is being patient and understanding what are the things we need to look at holistically, and then measure that success.

Looking ahead, what measurable security outcomes should Nigerians expect from the US–Nigeria defence partnership over the next 12 months

**I **think one of the things we have really, we have limited resources at AFRICOM, and so how do we maximise those capabilities?

And it’s really concentrating on those areas that have the most impact, primarily for what the threats are to our United States homeland, which is terrorism, and then finding partners who are willing and capable.

And I think that’s been one of the reasons the relationship with Nigeria has grown so well, is because Nigeria has been very willing and very capable to take on this fight. And it’s just a little bit of help from the United States in some key areas.

And so, to me, what do we expect? We expect partner nations to take that on and be willing to address the threat.

But then I think the other piece that we talked about earlier is not just the security military side of it, but then the investment at the local level in governance, in education, and then the economic opportunities that attract the youth away from the terrorists and the criminality into constructive business and constructive nation-building.

You know, one of the things here in Lagos that’s been pretty impressive to me is the energy. And it’s everywhere. And it’s this very entrepreneurial spirit that is very American, at least I see it, right, as American.

But we see it here, and one of the things I had learned is “Lagos dey bubble.” And I had not heard that before, but Lagos is always bubbling, it’s always churning.

Like New York. There’s energy like New York. And so someone told me, they said, “Well, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

And so I think part of it is Nigeria has got a huge amount of opportunity and potential. How do you harness it, and how do you channel that into positive efforts?

And so this is one of the things that, you know, what do you expect from Africa, from African partners, is this energy. How do you take the growing youth population and channel that energy for a positive effort? And to me, that’s what we all need to work on, but it has to be done locally.

So, those expectations, does it also involve training for our personnel?

Basically, what Nigeria requests, we look at being able to provide. There is some training. We did provide some training earlier in ISR and in targeting. We will continue to work where we can to provide targeted training for Nigerian forces.

**About General Anderson **

General Dagvin R.M. Anderson is the seventh commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, responsible for leading U.S. military operations and activities across Africa to protect and advance American national interests.

Before assuming command, he served as Director for Joint Force Development on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. His previous assignments include Vice Director of Operations on the Joint Staff; Commander of Special Operations Command-Africa; Deputy Director for Operations at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Special Assistant to the Commander and Director of the Commander’s Strategic Initiative Group for United Nations Command-Combined Forces Command-U.S. Forces Korea; Senior Aviation Advisor for Counter-Terrorism Operations at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict; and Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group at U.S. Special Operations Command.

A command pilot with more than 3,400 flight hours, including 738 combat hours, he has commanded at five echelons, including Joint Task Force Quartz, which oversaw the repositioning of U.S. forces from Somalia. His academic honours include fellowships at Harvard University and Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.