Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor and the United Kingdom Chief of Defence Staff, Tony Radakin, are currently holding talks on military cooperation.
While in a separate meeting, Nigerian National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and his United Kingdom counterpart, Stephen Lovegrove, are also dialoguing on a range of issues including counter-terrorism, serious and organised crime, civilian policing and human rights.
The three-day long dialogue that is ending on Wednesday, is taking place at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office headquarters at King Charles Street, London. It is the first of its kind since both countries formed the ‘UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership’ in 2018.
This was contained in a statement from the British High Commission, titled “Nigeria-UK hold Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue in London this week.”
The statement reads “The UK and Nigeria are holding the first meeting of the Nigeria-UK Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue in London this week. Talks, led by UK National Security Adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove and Nigerian National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, are scheduled to last for three days and will conclude on Wednesday.
“The Dialogue will also include a series of breakout sessions covering a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, serious and organised crime, civilian policing and human rights. Defence staff talks, led by UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, General L.E.O. Irabor, will also talk place in parallel and will discuss military cooperation.”
The partnership signed between President Muhammadu Buhari and former British Prime Minister, Theresa May, was aimed at helping Nigeria end the Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa (ISWAP) insurgency that has lasted over a decade.
Nigeria and Russia had in August 2021 signed a military cooperation deal providing a legal framework for the supply of equipment and the training of troops, the Nigerian embassy in Moscow said on Wednesday.
President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed interest in such a pact with Russia as far back as 2019, when he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a Russia-Africa summit.
The Nigerian ambassador to Russia at the time said Buhari felt Russia could help defeat the Boko Haram Islamic insurgency in the northeast of the country, which remains a major problem.
“The Agreement on Military-Technical Cooperation between both countries provides a legal framework for the supply of military equipment, provision of after sales services, training of personnel in respective educational establishments and technology transfer, among others,” the Nigerian embassy said in a statement.
It described the pact as a landmark development in bilateral relations between Abuja and Moscow.
Nigeria already uses some Russian fighter jets and helicopters, alongside military equipment purchased from Western powers such as the United States.
