• As Buratai attributes insecurity to weak institutions, corruption
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has said Nigeria is collaborating with the military of the Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali to strengthen the fight against transnational security threats in the sub-region.
Musa stated this yesterday while speaking at the second Distinguished Personality Lecture, organised by the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management (TECESM), University of Ibadan, Oyo State, with the theme: ‘Global Fragility and Security Management in Nigeria’.
The Chief of Defence Staff maintained that the nature of interconnected nations had made it imperative to collaborate and strengthen partnerships beyond borders.
While identifying porous borders as one of the problems contributing to insecurity in the country, Musa reiterated his call on Nigeria to fence strategic border areas to enhance security management and reduce vulnerability.
He said: “Politically, the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso may have exited, but militarily we still work together because we understand that we must work together and collaborate to protect one another. And politically, we must reach out to them because if we don’t help them to stand strong, the effect will come on us.”
According to Musa, fencing of borders to enhance security must be intentional, adding that Nigeria needs to learn from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, which have executed strategic fencing of their borders, thereby enhancing security management.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Kayode Adebowale, said: “Our world grapples with interconnected crises, climate-induced displacement, transnational terrorism, economic inequality, and geopolitical tensions that amplify vulnerabilities in fragile states.”
MEANWHILE, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has affirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service towards tackling cross-border financial crimes.
Speaking at the opening session of the National Conference on Combating Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) held in Abuja, Adeniyi placed Customs at the frontline of Nigeria’s battle to halt capital flight and enforce financial integrity.
Adeniyi revealed that the NCS had, in the past six months, tightened operations across all entry and exit points, sealing loopholes previously exploited for smuggling cash and negotiable instruments beyond legal thresholds.
According to him, the complexity of IFFs, ranging from trade misinvoicing to bulk cash smuggling, demands a united national front.
On her part, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Anite, linked IFFs to Nigeria’s fragile fiscal foundation. She underscored the urgency of reform, noting the country’s over-reliance on oil revenue had become a major vulnerability.
