Nigeria, UK Strengthen Ties To End Insurgency

The minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru has said that Nigeria would strengthen bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom (UK) in fighting insurgency.

He stated this when the UK delegation led by it’s minister for Armed Forces and Veterans, Mr. James Heappey visited him in his Abuja office.

In a statement issued by the director of press in the ministry of defence Victoria Agba-Attah, the minister said Britain has been supportive in ensuring the safety of Nigerian waterways, adding that security is a dynamic issue which has its own challenges.

The minister said that the Nigerian Military and British Military have to work together to combat the Boko Haram threat.

He said that the West needs to give more support to Nigeria as it has given to other nations.

Earlier, the minister of state for defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, said Nigeria and the United Kingdom have had good bilateral relationship.

Matawalle, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to ending insurgency and banditry in Nigeria, adding that both countries need to work closely in areas of capacity building, training of military personnel, technology transfer as well as provision of modern equipment to fight Boko Haram.

In his welcome address, the permanent secretary in the defence ministry Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana said that Britain tops the list on Nigeria’s international friends, adding that Nigeria cherishes the relationship between the two countries.

Heappey said that the purpose of their visit is to adjust and expand their support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria based on the needs and perception of the changing threats.

It is worthy of note that this is the first official courtesy visit to the ministers since assumption of office on Tuesday, 22nd August, 2023.