President Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone discussion on Sunday centred on Nigeria’s escalating security challenges and areas of international cooperation.
The call came the same day a high-level United States fact-finding delegation met with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja over allegations of Christian persecution and rising violence in the country.
Macron, in a message shared on X, affirmed France’s solidarity with Nigeria, saying his government would step up support for counter-terrorism efforts and humanitarian assistance in the North.
The French President’s assurance follows a renewed wave of attacks, school abductions and mass killings across northern communities, developments that have prompted heightened global attention.
Tinubu recently swore in the new Defence Minister, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), and earlier declared a nationwide security emergency, ordering security agencies to expand recruitment, deploy more personnel and prioritise the protection of schools, farms and worship centres.
Global scrutiny has intensified, particularly after former US President Donald Trump re-designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and suggested potential intervention.
Meanwhile, Ribadu hosted a visiting US Congressional delegation, alongside Ambassador Richard Mills, in continuation of security consultations initiated in Washington.
Discussions covered counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability and strengthening the Nigeria–US security partnership.
Additional American officials also visited Benue State, meeting Governor Hyacinth Alia, Catholic bishops and traditional rulers amid ongoing debates over alleged religious genocide.
The visits coincided with reports, yet to be officially confirmed, that the Federal Government had secured the release of 100 of the 315 persons abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State in November.
