Nigeria and the United Kingdom have pledged to work more closely on security, signing off on fresh commitments to tackle terrorism, cybercrime, maritime threats and financial crimes.

The agreement was reached at the end of the 4th Nigeria-UK Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue in Abuja on June 23 and 24, 2026.

A joint communiqué released by the UK Foreign Office on Friday and circulated by the British High Commission in Abuja on Monday said both countries will deepen collaboration “based on mutual accountability and shared responsibility.”

The talks were led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the UK NSA, Jonathan Powell, with top officials from both sides present.

London promised to sustain its backing for the Nigerian military through training, joint doctrine and technical support, especially in countering drone attacks and IEDs.

Both sides also agreed to support Nigeria’s Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre, improve maritime domain awareness, and deepen hydrographic cooperation.

They further pledged to work together to secure the Gulf of Guinea and curb piracy, oil theft and other criminal activities on the waterways.

A new framework will be set up to address cyber resilience, intelligence sharing and the fight against disinformation and organised crime, according to the communiqué.

On terrorism, Nigeria and the UK agreed to boost intelligence exchange and strengthen investigations and forensic capacity. Britain also promised to continue supporting aviation security at Lagos and Abuja airports, and to back Nigeria’s rollout of the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell to more states.

The two countries restated their commitment to non-kinetic approaches, including DDR programmes and peacebuilding, to prevent violent extremism.

The UK commended Nigeria for using remote hearings to fast-track terrorism trials and for ongoing mass trials at the Federal High Court.

With Nigeria’s general elections approaching, both governments stressed the need for robust security before, during and after the polls to protect voters and democratic institutions.

The dialogue also addressed the worsening security situation in the Sahel. Both nations agreed Nigeria must leverage its ECOWAS leadership and engage countries in the Alliance of Sahel States.

Britain welcomed Nigeria’s move to upgrade the National Counter Terrorism Centre into a regional hub.

Implementation of all agreements will be reviewed before the next dialogue, scheduled to hold in the UK in 2027.

Source: Punch News.