By Our Reporter
The Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deeper defence cooperation with the Republic of Benin to tackle terrorism and transnational crime.
This is contained in a statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Leah Katung-Babatunde, on Friday.
Musa said stronger military collaboration, intelligence sharing and coordinated border operations remained critical to preventing terrorists and criminal groups from exploiting porous frontiers.
The minister stated this after concluding a three-day working visit to Cotonou, Benin Republic, where he held strategic meetings with Beninese defence and military authorities.
He met with Benin’s Minister of National Defence, Mr. Gildas Agonkan, and senior military commanders to review regional security challenges and strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.
According to him, both countries agreed to harmonise regional security frameworks and reinforce joint strategies against cross-border crimes and violent extremism.
The minister said both nations reaffirmed their commitment to protecting democratic governance, securing land borders and safeguarding the Gulf of Guinea against piracy and maritime crime.
He said discussions also focused on establishing seamless, real-time intelligence-sharing mechanisms to track and neutralise criminal networks before they launched attacks.
Musa reiterated the Federal Government’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and urged Benin to deny safe havens to violent extremist groups operating around shared borders.
“We are showing no mercy to terrorists, bandits and armed extremists, and we must work together to ensure they have nowhere to hide,” he said.
He also proposed wider cross-border operational cooperation to prevent insurgent infiltration, illegal trafficking and other transnational crimes along both countries’ frontiers.
The minister visited the Centre for Post-Conflict Demining and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations and the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone during the trip.
He said the visits supported Nigeria’s drive for intelligence-driven and technology-enabled defence while promoting defence industrial cooperation under regional trade frameworks.
Musa also inspected Nigerian troops deployed in Togbin, Cotonou, under Operation ATILEYIN ALAFIA II on a peace support mission in Benin Republic.
Addressing the troops, he urged them to sustain professionalism while working closely with Beninese forces to dismantle criminal and terrorist networks.
“We are going to partner with the troops of the Republic of Benin to stop all those bandits and criminals killing our people.
“We will work out joint operations to stop them from infiltrating through our borders,” he said.
Musa assured the troops of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving their welfare, operational support and working conditions.
“A lot of good things that Mr President is preparing for you are being followed up to ensure you live well and have the support required to perform your duties,” he said.
The minister also held diplomatic discussions with Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin, Mrs. Mopelola Ibrahim, on strengthening bilateral relations and regional peace initiatives.
The visit ended with renewed commitments by both countries to deepen military cooperation in confronting emerging security threats across West Africa.
