The United States has identified continuing civilian deaths and inadequate transparency in humanitarian spending as major challenges to Nigeria’s efforts to be removed from its Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list.

The concerns were raised after the second US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting in Washington, where both countries reviewed progress in counterterrorism cooperation since their first meeting in Abuja in January 2026.

The US acknowledged Nigeria’s progress, including the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa suspects, expanded judicial capacity and the recruitment of 50,000 police officers.

However, the US State Department said challenges remained, particularly reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency. It also said more work was needed to support internally displaced persons and facilitate their safe return to their communities.

The discussions focused on three major areas: protecting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, strengthening judicial and security institutions to hold perpetrators accountable, and improving military-to-military cooperation.

Other areas reviewed included terrorism financing, biometric information sharing, law-enforcement capacity building, IDP resettlement and border security.

Nigeria’s delegation, led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, sought to demonstrate progress in the country’s counterterrorism efforts and strengthen the case for removing Nigeria from the CPC designation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the discussions were also aimed at improving intelligence coordination, tackling terrorism financing, strengthening border controls and reviewing the bilateral defence roadmap.

The US nevertheless reaffirmed its commitment to working with Nigeria to protect vulnerable communities and deepen security cooperation.