Nigeria and the Republic of Benin have renewed their commitment to deepen bilateral defence cooperation and strengthen joint strategies against terrorism, piracy, and other cross-border crimes following a three-day working visit by Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), to Cotonou.
The visit, hosted by Benin’s Minister of National Defence, Mr. Gildas Agonkan, focused on harmonising regional security frameworks, enhancing intelligence sharing, and reinforcing operational cooperation to safeguard democratic governance, stabilise land borders, and secure the Gulf of Guinea against maritime threats.
Both sides agreed to establish seamless, real-time intelligence fusion mechanisms that will enable their militaries to track, trace, and neutralise transnational criminal networks and insurgent cells before they can execute operations. “The actionable intelligence pipeline will allow both militaries to track, trace and neutralise transnational criminal networks and insurgent cells before they execute operations,” a statement from the Ministry of Defence said.
General Musa reaffirmed Nigeria’s zero-tolerance stance against terrorism and urged closer collaboration to deny violent extremist organisations safe havens along shared borderlands. He declared that Nigerian security forces are showing no mercy to terrorists, bandits, and armed extremists. To further strengthen border security, Nigeria offered Benin a wider pursuit range for security personnel to prevent insurgent spillover and illegal trafficking.
During the visit, the Minister inspected Nigerian Army troops deployed at Togbin, Cotonou, under the Peace Support Mission in Benin Republic (Operation ATILEYIN ALAFIA II). Addressing the troops, he said: “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, so that we can deal with them. One of the reasons for my visit is to come here and meet their own Minister of Defence so that we can sit down and see how we can work out our operations together, so that we can stop these people from infiltrating through our borders.”
He assured the troops of the Federal Government’s continued commitment to their welfare and operational support under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Nigerian delegation also visited the Centre for Post Conflict Demining and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operations (CPADD) and the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), aimed at promoting local capacity development in line with the Minister’s intelligence-driven and technology-enabled defence agenda. The engagements further provided opportunities for discussions on industrial development and economic cooperation consistent with ECOWAS trade protocols and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
General Musa also held talks with Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin, Mrs. Mopelola Ibrahim, reiterating President Tinubu’s commitment to military welfare and regional peace. The Minister has since returned to Abuja after the successful completion of the visit.