Hon. Nuhu Abdullahi Sada, an SDP aspirant for Zaria Kewaye Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, claimed in a tweet that U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, was heading to Nigeria for a meeting with Nigerian leaders.
The post, shared on X, suggested that Hegseth’s visit to Nigeria was imminent and connected to “big moves ahead” in U.S.-Nigeria relations.
CLAIM:
“Alert: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth heads to Nigeria to meet Nigerian leaders big moves ahead.”
https://x.com/i/status/2010845838965154116
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FINDINGS:
Official records and media reports confirm that Pete Hegseth was in the United States as of Monday evening, January 13, 2026, attending an event at SpaceX headquarters in Texas with tech billionaire, Elon Musk.
During the event, Hegseth announced the U.S. Department of Defense’s plan to integrate Musk’s artificial intelligence tool, Grok, into Pentagon networks, unveiling a new “AI acceleration strategy” to modernize military AI capabilities.
Hegseth’s schedule included meetings and announcements focused on U.S. military AI operations and innovation. There is no verified record or official statement indicating that he is traveling to Nigeria or planning meetings with Nigerian officials.
The US official himself shared a post from the event on his X account on Tuesday, saying: “No one on Earth can out-innovate an American entrepreneur once freed from the dead weight of a stifling bureaucracy.
We will forge a new Arsenal of Freedom. Thank you @elonmusk.”
https://x.com/i/status/2011096242231898534
The circulating claim appears to be based solely on social media speculation.
VERDICT:
The claim that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is heading to Nigeria for a meeting with Nigerian leaders is FALSE and MISLEADING.
Documented evidence confirms that Hegseth was in Texas attending a Pentagon-related AI event and had no engagement or travel plans to Nigeria on January 13, 2026.