Home Security Despite Tensions, Nigeria, Niger Defence Chiefs Agree To Join Forces In Curbing Illegal Circulation Of Arms  
SecurityWorld

Despite Tensions, Nigeria, Niger Defence Chiefs Agree To Join Forces In Curbing Illegal Circulation Of Arms  

394
Gen. Christopher Musa (Left), and Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou (Right).

The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, and the Nigerien counterpart, Gen. Salaou Barmou, on Wednesday, agreed to bury the tensions between them and cooperate in fighting against the illegal circulation of small arms and light weapons across the border.

In a meeting held Wednesday in Niamey, Niger, the two defence chiefs discussed security issues concerning the border and the Sahel region.

“Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strengthening collaboration, with a view to ensuring regional stability and security,” the Nigeria Army said in a statement. Both defence chiefs also signed a memorandum of understanding in that regard.

This development comes a year after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, threatened to invade Junta-led Niger if the attempts to restore the country to democratic rule failed. Niger’s junta had overthrown former president Mohamed Bazoum in a coup in July 2023.

ECOWAS’ threats and sanctions eventually led the three junta states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to break away from the West African Union and form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in July 2024.

The statement added that Niger also agreed to resume active participation in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJT), which Nigeria leads in the fight against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

Nigeria and Niger share a long border of more than 1,400km. Boko Haram and other insurgent groups have been operating in the area since 2015.


Read: Police Fail To Arraign PIDOM This Week As Promised

After Eight Months in Prison, Supreme Court Acquits Liberia’s Ex-Chief Justice of Niece’s Murder

After Handing Over Retail Assets to OVH Energy, NNPC Seeks to Privatise Warri and Kaduna Refineries

About The Author

Related Articles

NewsSecurity

Nigeria: Soldiers, Security Guards, Civilians Killed in Multiple Bandit Attacks in Zamfara

A series of attacks in Zamfara State has left many dead, including...

NewsWorld

Malian President Goïta Meets Putin in Moscow, Holds Discussions on Bamako–Moscow Relations

On Monday, Malian President and Head of the Transition, Army General Assimi...

NewsWorld

Two CSU ‘Classmates’: Tinubu and Zingman’s Troubling Criminal Footprint in Africa

A growing controversy engulfs Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Belarusian businessman...

DSS A
NewsSecurity

Nigeria: Leaked DSS Memo Warned of Attacks Weeks Before Benue Killings, Cited Cow Seizure as Trigger

A leaked memo from the Department of State Services (DSS) has revealed...