The Minister of Defence General Christopher Musa (Rtd) dismissed reports that Nigeria has signed a “Counterterrorism Cooperation” deal with Turkey, which will ultimately methodically institutionalise Jihad across every institution of Nigerian life.
The minister in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Colonel Timothy Antigua (Rtd) , said the federal government is not planning to offer any part of Nigeria’s territory as a military base to any foreign country.
He described the report as an attempt to discredit a legitimate and commendable effort by the government to build capacity in counterterrorism.
He said such moves were not only disturbing but also raises fundamental questions about the motive behind the article and other subterranean activities to frustrate the efforts of the government to end terrorism in Nigeria.
According to him, successive government’s have signed pacts with foreign nations in order to counter insurgency which started in 2009.
“Within the intervening period, successive administrations have initiated regional efforts and signed agreements with various partners to leverage their know how in counterterrorism,” he explained.
According to him, even under the current administration Nigeria-US security dialogue was held in 2024 , it re-affirmed counterterrorism aid and focus on Improvised Explosive Devices as well as maritime security in Gulf of Guinea.
He added that during Tinubu’s state visit, new agreements on defense equipment and training as well as intelligence sharing on Sahel jihadist groups were signed.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that agreements with partners towards the defeat of terrorism is not new. As a matter of fact, Nigeria earlier signed a defence related agreement with Turkey in 2021. So, how does the recent agreement with Turkey suggest the importation of Jihad into Nigeria?”
He explained that Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a Defence budget of 40 billion US Dollar and has a massive domestic industry that exports defence equipment to over 30 countries.
“Turkey is a mid-tier global military power with expeditionary reach,” he stated.
He said Turkey’s experience in counterterrorism is well established as they have been fighting terrorism continuously since the 1970s.
“Its experiences rank among the strongest in NATO. Therefore, the choice of Turkey as a partner in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism is well informed and grounded. It is not based on religious sentiments or frivolous considerations. However, if there are indeed any concerns in the future regarding current efforts to fight terrorism, the Nigerian government is well positioned to take steps that would be in the best interest of Nigerians.
“It should also be stated that there is no thinking or plan by anyone to offer any part of Nigeria’s territory as a military base to any foreign country,” he added.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to discountenance and disregard unsubstantiated claims and other efforts to cause disunity, acrimony and fear within the citizenry, but rather continue to support the government in it’s determination to eliminate all threats to national security.
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