Osinbajo Receives Bangladeshi Army Chief, Calls for Global Co-operation against Terrorism

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday renewed calls for international collaboration in the battle against terrorism, promising that Nigeria will continue to cooperate with the international community in the global fight.

Osinbajo who made this call in his office when he received Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff, General Abu Belal Muhammad, said networking by terrorist groups had increased the need for countries to close ranks in the bid to counter the threats posed by terrorist activities.

“We are concerned about terrorism not just within our borders. We have also seen the influence of terrorists across borders and how terrorist organisations have cooperated with each other.
“We are aware, for instance, that some within our own borders are cooperating with ISIL and 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,” he said.

Osinbajo who noted that “terrorism is a major problem and perhaps the most significant problem that the free world will face in the coming years’,”  added that 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.

“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,’’ he added.

Earlier, the Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff, Muhammad, said the long standing relations between Nigeria and Bangladesh had been helpful in career development of many officers of the armed forces of both countries.