The Nigerian military has publicly refuted claims by a senior United States official that American forces independently seized a significant cache of electronic intelligence from terrorists during an operation in Nigeria. Instead, Abuja asserts that these materials were willingly provided to the US as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation.
Brigadier-General Samalia Uba, Director of Defence Information, clarified that the intelligence shared consisted of declassified information derived from prior counter-terrorism operations conducted by the Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF). He emphasized that the exchange was a voluntary act under an existing security collaboration, rather than a unilateral capture by American forces.
“The materials were given to the US,” Uba stated, underscoring that this action aligns with the long-standing security partnership between Nigeria and the United States. This marks the first official response from Nigerian authorities following the US claims.
Origin of the Controversy
The controversy emerged after comments made by Sebastian Gorka, US Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Gorka had claimed that American operators recovered an unprecedented volume of electronic materials during a mission in Nigeria, describing it as the largest such haul since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also stated that US forces had eliminated 199 jihadists during the said operation.
Addressing the US narrative of an independent seizure, Brig-Gen Uba reiterated that intelligence exchanges should not be interpreted as American forces single-handedly confiscating materials from terrorists within Nigeria. He added, “It is not a new operation. We have previously communicated our highly successful joint operations in May. Nigeria-US joint operations and collaboration are very much on course.” This statement reinforces the existing framework of shared intelligence and coordinated efforts between the two nations.