The Presidency has revealed that Nigeria is strengthening collaboration with intelligence agencies from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and China as part of a renewed effort to tackle insecurity through intelligence-led operations.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Mr Ademola Oshodi, disclosed this during an appearance on Arise News’ Daybreak programme on Monday. He said the Federal Government has shifted from relying largely on kinetic military actions to a more intelligence-based model focused on investigation, arrests, prosecution and disruption of terror financing.
According to Oshodi, Nigeria is prepared to partner with any country — including North Korea — if such cooperation aligns with its national security and economic interests. He rejected suggestions that Nigeria should scale back relations with Russia or China to satisfy the United States, following recommendations from the US Congress urging Nigeria to reconsider certain alliances.
“We now operate intelligence-based solutions. Suspects are being arrested and prosecuted. Bank accounts linked to criminal activities are being traced and frozen. That is intelligence at work,” he said.
He cited the recent arrest of suspects connected to the church attack in Ondo State as an example of the effectiveness of the new strategy, noting that authorities are increasingly building prosecutable cases instead of merely eliminating suspects in combat operations.
Oshodi explained that combating terrorism financing requires extensive international collaboration, especially in tracking funds that move through global systems such as SWIFT and other covert channels. He said Nigeria’s partnerships leverage different strengths — from American surveillance capabilities and British investigative expertise to French regional presence in West Africa, Chinese technology and Israeli counter-terrorism experience.
The presidential aide maintained that Nigeria’s foreign and security policies would be guided strictly by national interest rather than ideological alignment or external pressure.
“Nigeria will do whatever is legal and necessary to secure its people and protect its economy. If the Americans provide support, we will work with them. If others offer solutions that serve our interests, we will engage them as well,” he stated.
His remarks come amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following recent hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran. They also follow mounting pressure from US lawmakers for Nigeria to reduce military cooperation with Russia and counter Chinese influence.
Oshodi dismissed concerns about potential US sanctions over religious freedom or Nigeria’s partnerships with rival global powers. He stressed Nigeria’s strategic importance in West Africa and its significant role in global oil and gas markets, arguing that both countries benefit from stable relations.
He added that Nigeria’s relationship with the United States should rest on mutual respect and recognition of sovereignty, expressing optimism that both nations would reach an arrangement that advances shared security and regional stability.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security challenges, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in parts of the North-West and North-Central regions, separatist tensions in the South-East and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The government says its expanding intelligence cooperation framework is central to addressing these threats more effectively and sustainably.
