Nigeria announces renewed US security partnership

LAGOS, NIGERIA - Nigerian authorities announced Monday the country had strengthened its "security partnership" with the United States, while again rejecting accusations of targeted persecution against Christians in the west African country.

The announcement follows US President Donald Trump's threats of military intervention in early November over allegations that radical Islamists were "killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers" in Nigeria.

A Nigerian delegation, including the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, visited Washington last week to meet with senior US officials to discuss their concerns, according to a statement from Nigeria on Monday.

"Following these engagements, the United States Government affirmed its readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria," said the statement from Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the Nigerian president.

He specified that the cooperation includes enhanced intelligence support, expedited processing of defence equipment requests and the "potential provision of excess defence articles".

Religiously diverse Nigeria is the scene of a number of long-brewing conflicts that have killed both Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.

But claims of Christian "persecution" in Nigeria have found traction online among the US and European right in recent months.

While meeting with US officials, Nigerian authorities said they "refuted allegations of genocide" against Christians, "emphasising that violent attacks affect families and communities across religious and ethnic lines", according to the statement.

"The delegation strongly rejected wrongful framing of the situation, saying such would only divide Nigerians and distort the realities on the ground," it added.

On Friday, the US Department of Defence said the two parties discussed ways to end violence against Christians and strengthen the fight against jihadists that has plagued much of the region.

Nigeria has faced a jihadist conflict in the northeast that has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million since it broke out in 2009.

The violence hasspilt over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the creation of a regional military force to fight the jihadists.

Nigeria has also faced violence led by "bandit" gangs in the northwest that commit kidnappings, village raids and killings