The Nigerian military has rejected assertions made by a high-ranking United States official regarding the recovery of electronic evidence from terrorists within Nigeria. Brig-Gen Samalia Uba, the Director of Defence Information, stated that these materials were not seized by American troops during a combat mission, but were instead shared by Nigerian authorities as part of a formal security partnership.
Brig-Gen Uba clarified that the intelligence files contained data from prior Nigerian counter-terrorism missions. This exchange represents a standard collaborative effort between the two nations rather than a unilateral seizure of goods by US forces. This statement serves as the official rebuttal to claims made by Sebastian Gorka, the US Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism. Gorka had previously suggested that American personnel recovered significant electronic intelligence while neutralizing 199 jihadists in a recent operation.
According to the Nigerian military, the narrative that US forces independently secured these items is inaccurate. The military underscored that the transfer of information is a continuation of established security cooperation and does not reflect a separate or new military engagement.