Wife of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Oluremi, has urged the United States to deepen its security involvement in Nigeria, as the federal government seeks closer cooperation amid criticism over terrorism and religious violence.
Tinubu made the call during a week-long visit to Washington, where she welcomed America’s Christmas Day airstrike on Islamist militants in northwest Nigeria, describing it as a positive step in confronting insurgents and criminal gangs.
“The intervention of the U.S. was quite a welcome development,” she told Fox News Digital during her visit to Washington, D.C.
She said Abuja was looking to expand collaboration with Washington on security matters.
“Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration” with the U.S. on security issues. “We are expecting that there will be more.”
Her remarks come amid persistent disagreements between Nigeria and some U.S. lawmakers over violence affecting Christian communities, an issue that has drawn growing attention in American political debates.
President Donald Trump had previously designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over violations of religious freedom, a label rejected by Tinubu and her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Nigerian government maintains that the violence destabilising parts of the country is not confined to one religion.
Earlier this year, gunmen believed to be Islamic extremists killed at least 162 people in Kwara State, attacking Muslim-majority villages and targeting residents who rejected extremist ideology.
“Terrorist groups hide in the forest, and also terrorists and other people are kidnapping for ransom,” Tinubu said.
Despite international criticism, Tinubu said U.S. focus on Christian killings had opened dialogue between Abuja and Washington.
“We have that attention. We have the conversation going. And we are expecting that there will be more. You know, it’s going to yield better fruit for us, and both for us and also America.”
During meetings with senior U.S. administration officials, Tinubu said she sought to explain Nigeria’s security realities.
“We live in Nigeria. We know the situation on the ground,” she said.
The U.S. airstrike referenced by Tinubu was carried out on Christmas Day, targeting suspected Islamist militants operating in northwest Nigeria, a region increasingly affected by banditry and extremist violence.
U.S. officials said the operation was intended to disrupt militant networks responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces, as concerns grow in Washington about the expansion of jihadist activity beyond Nigeria’s northeast.
The strike marked a rare instance of direct U.S. military action inside Nigeria and sparked debate at home over sovereignty and foreign involvement, while also highlighting the scale of the country’s ongoing security challenges.
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