The Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, and the Inspector General of Senegales Armed Forces, Maj.-Gen. Elhadji Niang, have pledged to strengthen the existing defence ties between Nigeria and Senegal.
They made the pledge when the Senegales military chief visited Army Headquarters on Monday in Abuja.
Earlier, Niang said he was in Army Headquarters to pay a condolence visit on the death of the former Chief of Army Staff, Late Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other officers who died in a plane crash in May.
He described the Nigerian Army as key factor to sustenance of peace and development in the sub-Sahara Africa and pledged the readiness of the Senegalese armed forces to strengthen cooperation with Nigeria.
Niang said that Nigerian army had contributed immensely to sustaining peace in many African countries through peace support operations, adding that Nigerian army’s achievement in peace-keeping operations had not been properly documented.
He pledged that Senegalese military would support and synergise with Nigeria in the ongoing fight against insurgency and other security challenges in the country.
According to him, Nigeria and Senegal are facing common issues hence the need to enhance the cooperation.
Responding, the COAS said that he was delighted that the Senegalese defence chief had solicited for enhanced defence ties considering that fact that some of the security challenges were trans-border in nature.
Yahaya said that Nigeria and Senegal shared common security issues as well as cultural background hence the need to cooperate towards addressing their challenges.
He specifically identified the movement of small arms across the region as a major factor behind the growing security challenges in the sub-region, adding that there was need for the two armed forces to collaborate.
The COAS also suggested that the two countries’ armed forces could further cooperate on training of their officers in their various institutions. (NAN)
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