By Zainab Bakare
Nigeria and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening strategic security cooperation, with both countries agreeing to strengthen collaboration in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, military training and regional security.
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), gave the assurance while hosting the United Kingdom’s National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, and his delegation at Ship House in Abuja during the Fourth UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP4) Dialogue.
According to a statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, General Musa underscored the importance of expanding bilateral cooperation to address evolving security threats and promote regional stability.
“Nigeria values its historic and strategic relationship with the United Kingdom,” the Defence Minister said, stressing that enhanced collaboration remains essential to tackling emerging security challenges confronting both nations.
As part of efforts to reinforce existing frameworks, both countries agreed to review current Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with a view to modernising security protocols, broadening technical training and strengthening capacity-building programmes for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The bilateral engagement took place on the sidelines of the two-day SDP4 Dialogue hosted by the Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja and co-chaired by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and his UK counterpart, Jonathan Powell.
At the close of the meeting, Nigeria and the United Kingdom outlined a forward-looking agenda for enhanced security and defence cooperation through 2026 and beyond, reaffirming their shared commitment to combating terrorism, improving intelligence collaboration and advancing regional stability.
