The Chiefs of Defence Staff in West Africa, on Friday, Urge the Return of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to the Regional Bloc.
The three West African countries under military rule declared in January that they would be leaving the Economic Community of West African States immediately, citing the organization as a threat to their own sovereignty.
The chiefs of defense for the region said that their return was essential to ending the insecurity, especially insurgency, that afflicted the area.
Leading the Defence Chiefs on a visit to Major General Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the Counter-terrorism Center in Abuja, was General Christopher Musa, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria.
While acknowledging that efforts were being made to reunite the three nations, Musa emphasized that cooperation among all regional nations was necessary to address the issue of insecurity in West Africa.
He said, “For us, we feel without security, there can’t be progress. And the threats we are facing, especially on insurgency, are high, and we think it’s very, very important that we need to partner together to achieve success. No country can do it alone, and that’s why it’s important.
“We know we have three countries that have decided to step aside. We are making all efforts to ensure that they come back to the fold because we know even they, on their own, cannot withstand this. And we know the relevance, if they fall, it will also drag us down.
“And that is why it is important for us as West Africans to continue to work together. I appreciate the National Coordinator for doing a wonderful job. He just came in in April and there’s so much that has taken place, and that is something we are very proud of.”
Musa, who said the insurgency in the region was spreading wide and fast, urged the Defence Chiefs to leave no stone unturned to curb the menace.
He said, “Insurgency is on the increase and spreading very, very wide and very fast. So we must do everything possible to ensure that we nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. So on behalf of all of us, we are happy to be here.
“We are sure that we’re going to work together to ensure that there is total peace in our region. I had the privilege of being the theatre commander in the Northeast when this horrendous exercise started, and it started like a joke.
“I think that’s what we need to encourage from all experiences, showing that the kinetic efforts can only do so much. The non-kinetic does more. But we need the two of them to go hand in hand, and that’s what we have to continue doing.”
In his speech, Laka stated that in order to combat terrorism, West African nations needed to work together.
He added that exchanging experiences amongst nations in the region is crucial, pointing out that this is still one of the most effective ways to combat insecurity.
Laka said,” We hope to partner with our brothers in the West African sub-region and the Sahel. They say if your brother’s house is on fire, it can also reach yours.
“So we need to learn from one another. We don’t plan to make this place the only place. We plan to partner with Abidjan.
“So it’s going to be a partnership. While we are experts in the preventive aspects, we are going to partner with all those centres to address the threat of terrorism.”
He added, “We are in the process of talking about how we are going to come together to address this threat that is stopping development and stopping our people from reaping the dividends of democracy.
“So Nigeria, we have so much experience. I know every country has its own experience. The only way we can address this threat is to share our experiences to address them.”
Laka said the centre is well-equipped to address the threat of terrorism.
He said, “Part of the things we have in this facility to address the threat of terrorism, we have state-of-the-art forensic laboratories. We have the toxicology labs, the fingerprint labs, the DNA labs, the handwriting labs, and so on. These are things that will facilitate the threat of terrorism investigation and so on.”The Chiefs of Defence Staff in West Africa, on Friday, Urge the Return of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to the Regional Bloc.
The three West African countries under military rule declared in January that they would be leaving the Economic Community of West African States immediately, citing the organization as a threat to their own sovereignty.
The chiefs of defense for the region said that their return was essential to ending the insecurity, especially insurgency, that afflicted the area.
Leading the Defence Chiefs on a visit to Major General Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the Counter-terrorism Center in Abuja, was General Christopher Musa, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria.
While acknowledging that efforts were being made to reunite the three nations, Musa emphasized that cooperation among all regional nations was necessary to address the issue of insecurity in West Africa.
He said, “For us, we feel without security, there can’t be progress. And the threats we are facing, especially on insurgency, are high, and we think it’s very, very important that we need to partner together to achieve success. No country can do it alone, and that’s why it’s important.
“We know we have three countries that have decided to step aside. We are making all efforts to ensure that they come back to the fold because we know even they, on their own, cannot withstand this. And we know the relevance, if they fall, it will also drag us down.
“And that is why it is important for us as West Africans to continue to work together. I appreciate the National Coordinator for doing a wonderful job. He just came in in April and there’s so much that has taken place, and that is something we are very proud of.”
Musa, who said the insurgency in the region was spreading wide and fast, urged the Defence Chiefs to leave no stone unturned to curb the menace.
He said, “Insurgency is on the increase and spreading very, very wide and very fast. So we must do everything possible to ensure that we nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. So on behalf of all of us, we are happy to be here.
“We are sure that we’re going to work together to ensure that there is total peace in our region. I had the privilege of being the theatre commander in the Northeast when this horrendous exercise started, and it started like a joke.
“I think that’s what we need to encourage from all experiences, showing that the kinetic efforts can only do so much. The non-kinetic does more. But we need the two of them to go hand in hand, and that’s what we have to continue doing.”
In his speech, Laka stated that in order to combat terrorism, West African nations needed to work together.
He added that exchanging experiences amongst nations in the region is crucial, pointing out that this is still one of the most effective ways to combat insecurity.
Laka said,” We hope to partner with our brothers in the West African sub-region and the Sahel. They say if your brother’s house is on fire, it can also reach yours.
“So we need to learn from one another. We don’t plan to make this place the only place. We plan to partner with Abidjan.
“So it’s going to be a partnership. While we are experts in the preventive aspects, we are going to partner with all those centres to address the threat of terrorism.”
He added, “We are in the process of talking about how we are going to come together to address this threat that is stopping development and stopping our people from reaping the dividends of democracy.
“So Nigeria, we have so much experience. I know every country has its own experience. The only way we can address this threat is to share our experiences to address them.”
Laka said the centre is well-equipped to address the threat of terrorism.
He said, “Part of the things we have in this facility to address the threat of terrorism, we have state-of-the-art forensic laboratories. We have the toxicology labs, the fingerprint labs, the DNA labs, the handwriting labs, and so on. These are things that will facilitate the threat of terrorism investigation and so on.”
