Defence chief urges regional military leaders to overcome political differences and cooperate against terrorism, organised crime and maritime threats.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has reaffirmed its support for regional security cooperation under the Economic Community of West African States, with Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede urging member countries to act collectively against threats that cross national borders.
Oluyede gave the assurance in Abuja when the outgoing and incoming chairmen of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff visited him during a leadership transition. He promised the incoming chairman cooperation and support aimed at strengthening the subregion’s collective security arrangements.
The Nigerian defence chief said political disagreements and bilateral disputes should not prevent member states from addressing shared security problems. He argued that national security could not be treated in isolation where armed groups and criminal networks operated across borders.
According to a statement by Director of Defence Information Major-General Samaila Uba, outgoing committee chairman Lieutenant-General Amara Idara Bangura, Sierra Leone’s Chief of Defence Staff, said the two delegations had spent the preceding two days completing formal handover arrangements.
Bangura thanked Nigeria and its armed forces for supporting the committee and regional security cooperation during his tenure. Oluyede, in turn, described the visit as evidence of solidarity and a common interest in maintaining stability across West Africa.
Incoming chairman Vice Admiral Oumar Wade, Senegal’s Chief of Defence Staff, expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s reception and highlighted a changing security environment. He identified terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organized crime and insecurity at sea among the challenges requiring coordinated action.
The engagement underscored Nigeria’s stated willingness to remain involved in ECOWAS defence consultations and initiatives. The supplied account did not announce a new troop deployment, funding package or specific joint operation.
