Osinbajo, Bangladeshi Army Chief meet over terrorism

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday renewed the call for international collaboration aimed at tackling the menace of terrorism.

Speaking while receiving the Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abu Belal Muhammad, Osinbajo stated that Nigeria would continue to cooperate in the global fight.

He noted that networking among terrorists groups had increased the need for countries to close ranks to counter the threats posed by terrorists’ activities.

“We are concerned about terrorism not just within our borders.

“We have also seen the influence of terrorists across borders and how terrorist organizations have cooperated with each other,’’ he observed.

The VP added that “we are aware for instance that some within our own borders are cooperating with ISIL.

“We think that these sorts of evil collaborations must have a response from countries that share similar experiences and can present a credible force against terrorists.’’

On the Nigeria-Bangladesh relations, Osinbajo said improved cooperation between the Bangladeshi and Nigerian military would go a long way in curbing threats posed by terrorist groups within and around borders of the two countries.

According to him, “we have benefitted a lot from some of your experiences in fighting insurgency in Bangladesh and we hope that we benefit even more from those experiences.

“We have had similar problems with Boko Haram and I know that you have also had problems of some sort with terrorist groups within the borders of Bangladesh.’’

The Vice President expressed the hope for collaboration in some other respect such as in the Bangladesh Ordinance Factory.

He said: “we also have an ordinance factory here at DICON which we are hoping to do a lot with very soon.

“We hope that there may be ways that we can cooperate especially in the manufacture of ordinances, arms generally and other forms of weaponry.’’

The Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff expressed gratitude for the reception accorded to his delegation since arriving in Nigeria.

He said the long standing relations between Nigeria and Bangladesh had helped in the career development of many officers of the armed forces of both countries.