President Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation on Sunday, focusing on Nigeria’s escalating security challenges and new areas of cooperation.
The discussion came on the same day a United States delegation including the US Ambassador to Nigeria and senior congressional officials met with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja over concerns about reported Christian persecution and rising insecurity.
In a message posted on X, Macron said he expressed France’s solidarity with Nigeria and assured Tinubu of increased support, particularly in tackling terrorism in the northern region.
“I spoke with President Tinubu of Nigeria. I conveyed France’s solidarity in the face of the various security challenges, particularly the terrorist threat in the North,” Macron wrote.
He added that France would strengthen its partnership with Nigeria at Tinubu’s request and provide additional assistance to affected communities.
“We call on all our partners to step up their engagement. No one can remain a spectator,” he said.
Macron’s assurances follow a series of deadly attacks, abductions, and school kidnappings across northern Nigeria that have drawn international concern.
The renewed support also comes shortly after Tinubu swore in a new Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), directing him to deliver swift and decisive results.
On November 26, Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency, ordering security agencies to scale up recruitment and deploy thousands of new personnel. He also directed that schools, farms, and places of worship be given priority protection, while governors expand local early-warning systems.
International scrutiny of Nigeria’s security crisis has intensified in recent weeks. Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly alleged a genocide against Christians in Nigeria and recently re-designated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious freedom issues a move the Nigerian government strongly disputes.
The Nigerian government maintains that insecurity affects all citizens regardless of religion and has sought diplomatic partnerships to address the crisis.
On November 20, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted Ribadu at the Pentagon to discuss joint strategies. The same day, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held hearings on Nigeria’s CPC re-designation and its implications.
Just last week, House Republicans issued new warnings about increasing religious violence during a briefing requested by Trump, who had earlier instructed congressional committees to investigate the situation in Nigeria.
Confirming the latest meeting, Ribadu said he received a US Congressional delegation on a fact-finding mission, following earlier engagements in Washington on shared security concerns.
“This morning, I received a US Congressional delegation following our earlier engagements in Washington, DC, on shared security priorities,” he wrote on X.
