A week after some US congressmen arrived Nigeria on a tour, some British senior military officials are in the country. What has remained consistent is the need to go all out against the insurgents Boko Haram.
As the statement from the Acting Director of Defense Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar said, Britain is offering assistance in the counter terrorism fight.
Below is the full statement.
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Britain has re-affirmed its resolve to help Nigeria in the fight against
terrorism. The British Deputy Chief of Defence Staff on Military Strategy
and Operations, Lieutenant General Gordon Messenger gave this assurance
when he and other senior British military officers paid courtesy call on
the Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Gabriel Olonisakin at the
Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
Lt Gen Messenger stated that the essence of the visit of the senior British
officials to Nigeria was to broaden the deep relationship and re-energise
the bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and Britain. He pointed out that
they came to Nigeria for deliberations towards identifying the ideal area
of collaboration to be adopted in the fight against insurgency and the best
way to make it work. He stressed that the fight against terrorism is a
multifaceted problem that demands strategy and careful exploration of grey
areas in order to re-appraise the best support the British could offer.
In his remark, the Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Olonisakin
thanked the British officials for the visit and the determination of the
Britain to assist Nigeria. The CDS acknowledge all the assistance the
Nigerian Armed Forces had enjoyed from Britain, especially in term of
training and retraining of our personnel for capacity building to crush the
insurgents, Boko Haram.
Major General Olonisakin noted that the Nigerian Armed Forces is doing
everything within its power to liquidate Boko Haram and its cells. This,
the CDS said has received boost with the inauguration of new Multi-National
Joint Task Force and the appointment of a Nigerian Commander. The MNJTF, he
reiterated, is coordinating with the Nigerian Military command and control
centre in the North East for effectiveness.
Present at the occasion were the British Assistant Chief of Defence Staff
on Defence Engagement, Rear Admiral Simon Ancona, top officials of British
Embassy in Abuja and a list of high ranking Nigerian military officers.
R. Abubakar, Col.
Acting Director, Defense Information.
