Maiduguri: The United Kingdom and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment and support to the Federal Government efforts in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. The commitment was made when the Defence Attach©s of the two countries visited the headquarters of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), stated this in a statement on Thursday. Uba said that the UK Defence Attach©, Brig.-Gen. Tom Harper, and his counterpart from Germany, Col. Boris Bovecamp, made the commitment during their visit to Maiduguri.
The Defence Attach©s of the United Kingdom and Germany to Nigeria, Brig. Tom Harper and Col. Boris Bovecamp, have reaffirmed continued support and collaboration in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. The assurance came during their historic visit to the Headquarters of the Theatre Command, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
He said that Harper highlighted the strong mutual respect and enduring relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. According to him, the attach© emphasised their shared commitment to the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. Harper also commended the Nigerian Armed Forces’ efforts in tackling terrorism in the North East region, particularly through Operation HADIN KAI. He expressed the UK’s commitment to providing further training support through the British Military Advisory Team (BMATT).
Similarly, Bovecamp said he was in the Theatre to explore possible areas of future collaboration, especially in the area of capacity building. He said that this also included possible interventions through regional cooperation arrangements to enhance operational effectiveness and collaboration to defeat terrorism.
In his remarks, the Theatre Commander of OPHK, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, lauded the significant contributions of the UK and German Defence Attach©s to counter-insurgency efforts. Abubakar noted that training initiatives have enhanced troops’ skills and proficiency in responding to evolving security challenges in the Theatre, emphasizing the mutual benefit of the partnerships. The commander highlighted areas of future collaboration to include technical expertise as well as equipment and logistics support.