The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, says Nigeria sent troops to the Republic of Benin to defend democracy, keep people safe and support peaceful elections. He spoke at the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Abuja on Monday.
Shaibu said the deployment under Operations Atileyin Alaafia 1 and 2 shows Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening regional security architecture and boosting collective responses to threats in neighbouring countries.
“Consequently, we have continued to disrupt criminals network, degrade adversary capabilities and restore relative calm in previously volatile areas. We are also not oblivious of the security situation around our contiguous countries with Nigeria, which necessitate the deployment of troops for Operation Atileyin Alaafia 1 and 2 to restore democracy, ensure security, and the peaceful conduct of elections in the Republic of Benin.”
He stressed the need to keep working closely with other security agencies and regional partners. “Equally important is the need to deepen joint and interagency cooperation while integrating technology, innovation, and real-time intelligence into our operations,” he said.
Shaibu also told commanders to stay adaptive and mission-focused, and to keep building inter-agency and multinational ties in current operations. He added that the Nigerian Army would continue to promote intelligence sharing, strategic partnerships, and collaborative mechanisms designed to deny criminal and terrorist groups freedom of action within Nigeria and across neighbouring countries.
