Nigeria and the Republic of Benin have agreed to step up joint military cooperation and real-time intelligence sharing to combat terrorism and cross-border crime across West Africa.
The agreement follows a three-day official visit to Cotonou by Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, where he met with his Beninese counterpart, Gildas Agonkan, and senior military leaders.
Key outcomes of the talks include proposals for a wider range of pursuit across shared land borders to prevent armed groups from escaping into neighbouring territory, as well as joint efforts to bolster maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking during an inspection of Nigerian troops deployed on a peace support mission in Cotonou, Gen Musa emphasised a coordinated approach to regional insecurity.”We are going to partner with the troops of the Republic of Benin to ensure that we stop all those bandits, all those criminals that are killing people in our own countries,” Gen Musa said. “One of the reasons for my visit is to come here and meet their Minister of Defence so that we can sit down and see how we can work out our operations together.”As part of the visit, the Nigerian delegation inspected facilities at the Centre for Post Conflict Demining and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (CPADD) and the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ) to explore defence technology and regional trade integration under ECOWAS and AfCFTA frameworks.
Gen Musa also held bilateral discussions with Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin, Mopelola Ibrahim, before returning to the capital, Abuja, on Saturday.
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