CLAIM: US And Nigeria Disagree Over Deployment Of Soldiers
On February 5, 2026, an X user @BiaPulse claimed that the United States Army and the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) are in disagreement over deploying U.S. soldiers to the battlefield. The post had an image of Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the seventh Commander of U.S. Africa Command headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, was captioned, “Breaking News:USA Army and Nigerian Defense Headquarters disagree on deployment of USA soldiers to the battlefield.”
When this report was published, this claim had about 28,500 views and over 870 replies, reposts, quotes, likes, and bookmarks. In the comment section, @Rekuot001 wrote “US Army will not even understand what they’re doing in Nigeria unless they disengage from the Nigerian government” and @Anointe67791400 said “Make the two fight , who win will face bandith .. Nigeria army no what they are doing ,they are eating together with this bandith.”
VERIFICATION
According to a report from BusinessDay, on February 4, 2026, the United States deployed a “small team” of its troops to Nigeria, marking the first public acknowledgement of American military personnel operating on Nigerian soil. The United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, acknowledged that a small contingent of U.S. military personnel has been deployed to Nigeria. This deployment followed consultations with Nigerian leadership and is framed as cooperation, not a unilateral action.
Officials, including Nigeria’s Defence Minister and AFRICOM commanders, clarified that this team is not intended to conduct independent combat operations. Instead the focus is on training, intelligence gathering, and support roles to strengthen Nigeria’s own security efforts against terrorism and insurgent groups.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters explained the nature of the cooperation with the United States, emphasising respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and structured partnership. These clarifications were aimed at dispelling rumours and confusion, they do not represent a public disagreement with U.S. military authorities.
There is no confirmed public dispute or disagreement between U.S. military leadership and Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters about the nature of the deployment. There are also no official announcements from either or both stating that U.S. soldiers are to be sent independently to battlefield combat in Nigeria.
CONCLUSION
The claim that the United States Army and the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) are in disagreement over deploying U.S. soldiers to the battlefield is MISLEADING. There is no credible evidence that the United States Army and Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters are in disagreement over the deployment of U.S. soldiers to Nigeria. Official statements from both sides consistently describe the presence of American personnel as part of coordinated military cooperation focused on training, advisory support, and intelligence sharing, not direct battlefield combat.
