The Economic Community of West African States Chiefs of Defence Staff, currently meeting in Abuja, have called for the return of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to the regional bloc, stating that their return is necessary to defeat the insecurity ravaging the region, especially insurgency.
General Christopher Musa, Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, made this call while leading the Defence Chiefs on a visit to the National Coordinator of the Counter-terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, in Abuja.
Gen Musa stated, “For us, we feel without security, there can’t be progress. And the threats we are facing, especially on insurgency, are high, and we think it’s very, very important that we need to partner together to achieve success. No country can do it alone. That’s why it’s important.
“We know we have three countries that have decided to step aside. We’re making all efforts to ensure that they come back to the fold because we know even they, on their own, cannot withstand this. And we know the relevance, that if they fall, it will also drag us down.
“That’s why it’s important for us as West Africans to continue to work together. I appreciate the National Coordinator for doing a wonderful job. He just came in in April, and there’s so much that has taken place, and that is something we’re very proud of.”
Gen Musa also disclosed that the insurgency in the region was spreading wide and fast, and called on the Defence Chiefs to leave no stone unturned to curb the menace.
He said, “Insurgency is on the increase and spreading very, very wide and very fast. So we must do everything possible to ensure that we nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.”
National Coordinator Counter-terrorism Centre, Major Gen Laka, in his remarks, emphasized the need for cooperation among West African countries to defeat terrorism.
Laka said, “We hope to partner with our brothers in the West African sub-region and the Sahel. They say if your brother’s house is on fire, it can also reach yours.
“So we need to learn from one another. We don’t plan to make this place the only place. We plan to partner with Abidjan.
“We are in the process of talking about how we are going to come together to address this threat that is really stopping development and stopping our people from reaping the dividends of democracy.
“So Nigeria, we have so much experience. I know every country has its own experience. The only way we can address this threat is to share our experiences to address them.”
Laka also highlighted the centre’s capabilities in addressing the threat of terrorism, stating, “Part of the things we have in this facility to address the threat of terrorism, we have state-of-the-art forensic laboratories. We have the toxicology labs, the fingerprint labs, the DNA labs, the handwriting labs, and so on. These are things that will facilitate the threat of terrorism investigation and so on.”
