Interior minister seeks military, paramilitary cooperation

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has sought collaboration between the military and paramilitary agencies to bolster national security efforts.

According to him, there was a need to bridge existing gaps between the military and the ministry.

Speaking while receiving the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, in his office in Abuja on Thursday, the minister advocated seamless intelligence sharing and resource allocation to effectively counter emerging threats.

This was contained in a statement on Thursday by the minister’s Media Adviser, Babatunde Alao.

The statement partly read, “Expressing gratitude for the ongoing support from the Armed Forces, Minister Tunji-Ojo emphasized the pivotal role played by military personnel in assisting agencies under the ministry during various operations.

“Highlighting key areas of collaboration, the Minister emphasized the importance of training initiatives, particularly for personnel of the Nigeria immigration service stationed at border checkpoints, and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps tasked with safeguarding forested areas.”

He, however, caled for an understanding to facilitate coordination and operational assistance between agencies under the ministry and the Nigerian military.

The statement added, “There are numerous responsibilities that I believe the nitty-gritty can be worked out in a Memorandum of Understanding between our agencies and the Nigerian military, encompassing equipment, training (which entails know-how), and other operational assistance.

“I want it to be your legacy, my legacy, and above all, the legacy of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the military and the Nigeria Immigration Service were able to synergize and protect our border in such a way that any internal threat can be contained internally.”

On his part, Musa commended Tunji-Ojo for his initiatives that have contributed to the ministry’s progress since assuming office.

He reaffirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to supporting the ministry in its mandate to enhance internal security, stressing the importance of unity between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior in addressing contemporary security challenges.

“I want to assure you that the armed forces are fully with you. The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior are the same.

“Those days, the Defence came in because we were fighting conventional warfare, mostly country to country but now, the fight is within. We are fighting unknown actors – people you don’t know about. That makes it very critical. And, that’s why I want to assure you that we are going to collaborate with you,” he said.