President Muhammadu Buhari has called for deeper anti-terror collaboration between Nigeria and France to defeat Boko Haram and other insecurity challenges facing the country.
Buhari made the call on Tuesday while he joined other African leaders to discuss plans to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was even as President Buahri insisted that the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted how interconnected and interdependent the world was.
Speaking further on the terrorism, the president noted that much has been done by the French government, as France has borne much of the strain for combating terrorism of the region, stating that ‘the leaders of Sahel countries – must also do more to present a unified front to lobby other Western nations, particularly Great Britain and the United States and the European Union for further military and humanitarian assistance.’
“Now Nigeria and France should deepen our anti-terror cooperation if we are to overcome this scourge – particularly in the aftermath of the murder of the late President of Chad.
“Where for historical ties, support came to Nigeria from the UK, and to the G5 from France, the terrorists do not recognize these border-aligned distinctions. We must be agile and flexible, cooperating cross our borders to cut the head off their groups.
“Indeed, we have already done much to strengthen our bond. Intelligence sharing is well developed, along with training against improvised explosives. But there is more we can do in cross-border military exercises and coordinating strategy,” Buhari said.
