US, Nigeria Intensify Joint Strikes Against ISIS-Linked Militants – Rubio

The United States has reaffirmed its expanding security partnership with Nigeria, highlighting recent joint military operations targeting high-ranking terrorist leaders operating in the country’s North-East.

Speaking before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, said Washington is actively working with Nigerian security forces in ongoing counterterrorism cooperation with Nigeria, including recent coordinated strikes against Islamic State-linked militants.

Rubio made the remarks while defending the US State Department’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, noting that the partnership has intensified amid continued instability in the Lake Chad Basin.

“We are now actively in counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces, including a joint operation a couple of weeks ago that took out the number two leader of global ISIS operating from inside of the country, and that continues,” Rubio said.

US officials identified the killed militant as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as a senior ISIS figure linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). He was reportedly killed on May 15 during a coordinated operation involving US intelligence support and Nigerian military forces in the Lake Chad region.

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US defense officials, including Pentagon spokesperson Pete Hegseth, said Al-Minuki played a central role in planning and directing attacks across parts of northern Nigeria, including assaults on civilian and religious communities.

Following the operation, President Bola Tinubu confirmed the militant leader’s death and praised the joint security effort, stating that several of his commanders were also neutralised in the strike. He described the development as a significant step in ongoing efforts to degrade terrorist networks operating in the country.

Security sources say the operation marked one of the most high-profile targeted killings of an ISIS-affiliated commander in Nigeria in recent years.

In the weeks following the strike, the Nigerian military reported additional coordinated air operations in Borno State. According to the Defence Headquarters, more than 20 ISWAP fighters were killed in an air raid in Metele shortly after the initial operation.

On June 1, another joint intelligence-backed operation involving the Nigerian Air Force and US Africa Command (US AFRICOM) reportedly struck militant positions in Arege, Kukawa Local Government Area, killing at least 21 suspected ISWAP fighters.

Military authorities say the sustained operations are part of a broader strategy to disrupt insurgent logistics networks, eliminate senior commanders, and reduce attacks in the Lake Chad Basin region, which has remained a hotspot for jihadist activity for over a decade.

The US-Nigeria partnership has also focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance support, and counter-IED capabilities, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies in the North-East.

Analysts say the renewed operational tempo reflects a deeper phase of security cooperation between both countries, even as concerns persist over civilian protection, regional spillover risks, and the long-term stability of liberated communities.

The latest developments underscore Washington’s continued strategic interest in West Africa’s security landscape, particularly in countering extremist groups operating across porous borders in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.

US, Nigeria Intensify Joint Strikes Against ISIS-Linked Militants – Rubio

US Publishes Photos of 110 Nigerians Facing Deportation

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has publicly released the names and photographs of 355 West African nationals facing deportation, including 110 Nigerians, as part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign under the Trump administration. The list, published on the DHS website under a section labeled the “Worst of the Worst” criminal register, identifies individuals from 16 West African countries who have been convicted of serious crimes or violated U.S. immigration laws. The DHS stated that all listed individuals are subject to ongoing immigration enforcement proceedings, though specific crimes and deportation timelines have not been disclosed for each person.

Among West African nations, Nigeria leads the list with 110 nationals, followed by Liberia with 94, Ghana with 30, Senegal with 19, Ivory Coast with 14, Gambia with 14, Cameroon with 15, Mauritania with 12, Cape Verde with 11, Burkina Faso with 9, Niger with 8, Guinea with 6, Togo with 6, Mali with 5, Benin with 1, and Guinea-Bissau with 1. The number of Nigerians on the list has fluctuated in recent months, rising from 79 in February to 130 in March before being revised down to the current figure of 110.

According to DHS officials, individuals on the “Worst of the Worst” register have been flagged for visa overstays and unlawful entry into the U.S., criminal convictions including fraud, identity theft, smuggling, drug trafficking, and violent crimes, as well as failure to meet residency or asylum requirements. The DHS noted that the list includes individuals convicted of offenses ranging from wire fraud to aggravated assault. The department said in a statement: “Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations, starting with the worst of the worst.”

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The deportation process has involved logistical coordination with several African nations. While Nigeria has resisted U.S. requests to accept third-party nationals (non-Nigerians whom the U.S. wants to deport via Nigeria), other countries have stepped in. Ghana has served as a logistical hub for West African removals, using ECOWAS free movement protocols. Sierra Leone agreed to a third-country agreement and received nine deportees on May 20, 2026, including nationals from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, and Senegal. The Sierra Leonean government, supported by a $1.5 million U.S. grant, will house deportees for up to 90 days before they return to their home countries. Reports indicated some deportees were “traumatised due to months in chains during detention in the US.”

Unlike Sierra Leone and Ghana, Nigeria’s government has publicly resisted American pressure to accept third-party nationals, citing domestic economic and security challenges. However, Nigerian nationals convicted of crimes in the U.S. remain subject to direct deportation to Nigeria. The diplomatic friction is unlikely to ease already strained U.S.-Nigeria relations.

The DHS launched the “Worst of the Worst” website on December 8, 2025, to publicize the identities of criminal illegal aliens arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across all 50 states. As of June 2026, over 35,000 individuals have been named on the list, with more being added regularly. Recent additions from West Africa included individuals convicted of wire fraud, mail fraud, and identity theft.

The DHS has not provided a specific timeline for the deportations of the 355 West African nationals. However, officials have confirmed that removal proceedings will be carried out in accordance with U.S. immigration law, with ICE coordinating with home countries where diplomatic agreements exist.

US Publishes Photos of 110 Nigerians Facing Deportation

Poor Nigerians Are Primary Beneficiaries of Tinubu’s Reforms — Presidential Aide

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said that the poor are the primary beneficiaries of the policies introduced by the Tinubu administration. Bwala made the assertion on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, where he highlighted several government initiatives aimed at improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has provided opportunities for more than one million students from low-income families to pursue higher education. “We talk about over one million beneficiaries of NELFUND. These are not children of the rich. These are children of the poor who, without the intervention, may not be able to achieve their dreams. That is a direct impact on the poor person,” he said.

The presidential aide also pointed to the administration’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, describing it as a programme that has brought relief to many Nigerians through reduced transportation costs. “When we talk about transportation and what the CNG initiative has done, you need to go to the streets and see for yourself. We went to the streets and talked to people, and all they are asking is that there should be more investments in that field,” he added.

On healthcare, Bwala cited government interventions such as free caesarean section services and a 50 per cent subsidy on dialysis treatment, arguing that such measures are targeted at vulnerable Nigerians. “When we talk about healthcare and the caesarean section programme, I was here the other time and talked about the 50 per cent subsidy on dialysis. These are poor people because rich people do not need that. As a matter of fact, most of the rich are abroad,” he said. Bwala maintained that every major policy introduced by the current administration has been designed to directly benefit low-income Nigerians.

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Beyond the figures cited by Bwala, official data from the Federal Government shows that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has recorded over 1.7 million applications as of March 2026, with more than 1.1 million students confirmed as beneficiaries. Total disbursements have reached ₦206.29 billion, comprising approximately ₦128.84 billion paid directly to institutions for tuition and ₦77.45 billion paid to students as upkeep allowances. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has described NELFUND as a transformative intervention in the education sector, noting that the scheme has cost the Federal Government over ₦1.1 billion, while over 160,000 youths have also been trained in digital skills. The Acting Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, Dr Mikhail Akinde, confirmed that his institution had received about ₦32 million to support approximately 233 students through the programme.

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) has been rolled out across more than 28 states, with the Federal Government launching the Northern Corridor of the programme in Kano State on May 14, 2026. Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented at the launch by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, stated that the transition to CNG and electric mobility is not only an energy policy but also an economic strategy aimed at reducing costs and supporting long-term development. “Transportation costs affect everything — food prices, manufacturing, logistics and the lives of ordinary Nigerians. The President understood that Nigeria could not continue depending entirely on expensive traditional fuel systems while sitting on over 200 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves,” Shettima said. The Executive Chairman of the initiative, Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed that over $2 billion in investment commitments had been attracted under the programme, with more than 58 refuelling stations supported, thousands of CNG buses and tricycles deployed, and over 7,000 Nigerians trained. Over 300 conversion partners have been onboarded nationwide, including 41 centres in Kano State alone.

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President Tinubu had earlier approved a reduction in the cost of kidney dialysis from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000 per session in federal hospitals across the country. The subsidy is already being implemented in major federal hospitals across the six geopolitical zones, including the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos; University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin; and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Maiduguri, among others. According to a report by Radio Nigeria, the subsidised dialysis programme and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (CEmONC) , which provides free emergency caesarean sections, have been yielding fruitful results. At the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department conducted 755 Caesarean sections paid for by the federal government between January and June 2025. One beneficiary of the free caesarean section service, Asma’u Ibrahim, described the federal government’s initiative as a “lifesaver,” noting that affording a theatre fee of over ₦100,000 had been a major challenge given the country’s economic situation. Kidney failure patients interviewed at the ATBUTH Renal Centre also expressed gratitude for the subsidy, with one patient, Musa Abdullahi Jingir, stating that he now prefers to spend ₦17,000 on transport to access the subsidised service in Bauchi rather than pay ₦50,000 per session in Jos.

Beyond the initiatives highlighted by Bwala, the Federal Government has also expanded its social protection programmes under the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Cash Transfer Programme (HOPE-CT) . The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, disclosed in a press conference that over 9.2 million households across the nation’s six geopolitical zones have benefited from the initiative, with approximately ₦688 billion disbursed between November 2023 and February 2026. Beneficiaries receive ₦75,000 distributed over three tranches, with the government now targeting an expansion to 15 million vulnerable Nigerians. Notably, 5.3 million women, representing 58.7 per cent of beneficiaries, have so far benefited from the initiative, a move described as a deliberate policy to empower women and improve household well-being.

While defending the administration’s policies, Bwala acknowledged that many Nigerians are yet to feel the full impact of the economic reforms due to the country’s large population and limited resources. He described the process as “slow, steady, and consistent” and urged citizens to manage their expectations. “The answer is simply population and resources. The population is over 230 million. The resources we have, however, the increased revenue is not enough. Growth will have to be slow. But it will be slow, steady, and consistent. That is what we take pride in,” Bwala said. He added that the effect of increased government revenue is already being experienced through increased allocations to states, which has resulted in state-level implementations impacting local communities. “There are states you can point at tangible results dealing with hunger by the provision of food and agricultural materials,” he noted.

The administration’s supporters argue that the reforms were necessary to address long-standing economic problems and place the country on a stronger financial footing. Official data shows that Nigeria’s net foreign-exchange reserves have risen significantly, while the stock market has recorded a nearly fivefold rise. Capital inflows rose by almost 90 per cent in 2025, with foreign portfolio investment carrying much of the increase. As debates over the state of the economy continue, the Presidency maintains that its policies are beginning to produce positive results and that ordinary Nigerians are already benefiting from key intervention programmes. The administration is expected to continue highlighting programmes such as NELFUND, healthcare subsidies, CNG transportation initiatives, cash transfers, and affordable housing as evidence of its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly those in lower-income communities.

Poor Nigerians Are Primary Beneficiaries of Tinubu’s Reforms — Presidential Aide