Relationship With Turkey Is Holistic, Terrorism Is All Over The World — Gen Musa.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Retired General Christopher Musa, has stated that the defence relationship between Nigeria and Turkey extends beyond equipment procurement and transactional military cooperation, describing it as a holistic partnership involving intelligence sharing, counterterrorism collaboration, and broader social strategies.
Musa made the disclosure during an interview on TRT World on Wednesday, while responding to questions on intelligence cooperation and the evolving nature of defence ties between Nigeria and Turkey.
The remarks followed a reference to comments by Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, who recently emphasized solidarity in combat, raising questions about the possibility of real-time intelligence sharing between both countries.
Responding to the inquiry, the Defence Minister rejected the notion of a narrow or transactional relationship. “No, it’s holistic. Terrorism is all over the world. And so if you have to address it, you have to have countries that have the reach,” Musa said.
He noted that Turkey’s experience in dealing with security challenges places it in a position to support Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts. “Turkey has the experience, they have the know-how, they have the knowledge, they have the intelligence that we can leverage on,” he stated.
Musa highlighted the transnational nature of terrorism, pointing out that militant groups are not confined to Nigeria alone. “Because like we said, Boko Haram, ISWAP, not only in Nigeria. In fact, Africa is facing a daunting task in dealing with it,” he said.
The Defence Minister listed several African countries grappling with similar security threats, underscoring the regional spread of terrorism. “You know of the AES countries, Mali, Chad, and Niger Republic. It’s stretching up into Benin Republic. Mozambique is having the same issues. Libya is still not stable,” Musa noted.
According to him, the scale and reach of terrorism across the continent make international cooperation necessary. “So, it’s a holistic thing that we need,” he said.
Musa explained that Nigeria is seeking to draw from Turkey’s global reach and accumulated experience in addressing complex security challenges. “I want to leverage on these experiences and the reach that Turkey has in order to address our issue,” he added.
He further clarified that the cooperation goes beyond conventional military engagement and includes non-military dimensions aimed at addressing the root causes of insecurity. “So, it’s beyond just the military aspect, it’s a holistic aspect also into social welfare, how they’ve been able to use that to address poverty, illiteracy, and I think those are critical aspects,” Musa said.
