America and the Nigerian authorities have agreed to determine a Joint Working Group to coordinate a brand new section of defence and safety cooperation, following high-level engagements between each nations in Washington, D.C., final week.
This was disclosed in a press release issued on Monday by Particular Adviser to the President on Data and Technique, Bayo Onanuga, who mentioned the talks bolstered “a constructive and solution-driven partnership” and corrected what Nigeria described as damaging misconceptions about its inner safety scenario.
In accordance with the assertion signed by Onanuga, the Nigerian delegation led by Nationwide Safety Adviser Nuhu Ribadu used each assembly in Washington to refute allegations of a state-sanctioned or religiously focused genocide in Nigeria.
“The delegation strongly rejected wrongful framing of the scenario,” Onanuga quoted officers as saying, stressing that “violent assaults have an effect on households and communities throughout spiritual and ethnic traces.”
Following the engagements, Onanuga mentioned the U.S. Authorities expressed readiness to increase its safety cooperation with Nigeria.
This contains enhanced intelligence sharing, quicker processing of defence gear requests, and doable entry to extra U.S. defence belongings, topic to availability, to assist Nigeria’s operations towards terrorists and violent extremist {groups}.
“America Authorities affirmed its readiness to deepen safety cooperation with Nigeria,” Onanuga mentioned, including that Washington additionally signalled willingness to supply humanitarian help to affected communities and technical assist for strengthening early-warning methods.
Onanuga mentioned the Washington discussions “supplied ample alternative to right misconceptions about Nigeria” and helped “reinforce mutual belief” between Abuja and Washington.
He famous that the Federal Authorities stays conscious of heightened world sensitivities concerning spiritual freedom and insisted that Nigerians ought to be assured that “agency, pressing, and coordinated steps are being taken to safe the nation.”
Members of the Nigerian delegation included Legal professional Normal of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi; Inspector Normal of Police Kayode Egbetokun; Chief of Defence Employees Normal Christopher Musa; Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Parker Undiandeye; Particular Adviser to the NSA Idayat Hassan; and Ambassador Ibrahim Babani, Director of International Relations on the Workplace of the NSA.
President Donald Trump had earlier this month fired a number of salvos towards Nigeria with claims of an ongoing Christian genocide within the nation, which the Nigerian authorities vehemently denied.
Trump additionally designated Nigeria as a “Nation of Specific Concern,” and thereafter threatened navy motion in Nigeria ought to the federal government fail to handle the insecurity points.
Nigerian officers have constantly disputed Trump’s claims, insisting the safety disaster is pushed by criminality, extremism, and land-related conflicts, not spiritual persecution. The high-level conferences in Washington have been partly geared toward clarifying this place to U.S. policymakers.