US pledges strong security partnership with Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has discussed West African security issues with the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a four-country African tour.

Mr Blinken said Washington was determined to remain a "strong security partner for Nigeria" as the two allies fight Islamist militants in the region.

Nigeria has also witnessed growing violence in the north and the capital, Abuja, where armed gangs have targeted communities and kidnapped residents for ransom.

Countries within the Sahel region have witnessed escalating instability, following military coups in four of the 15-member regional bloc, Ecowas.

During his tour, which does not include any of the countries that have recently undergone coups, Mr Blinken also discussed challenges to democracy in the region.

While in Abidjan, earlier on Tuesday, Mr Blinken praised Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara for his plans to combat extremism in northern areas bordering the Sahel.

The US has been pushing to sustain its influence in Africa in the face of strong competition from Russia and China