The Minister of State for Defence, House of Lords United Kingdom, Lord Vernon Coaker, has said that the British government will continue the Nigerian Army in tackling the cases of indiscriminate use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against troops and civilian population in Borno and other parts of Northeast.

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Lord Coaker stated this on Wednesday during his visit to the theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai Joint Task Force headquarters in Maimalari cantonment in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

He thanked the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Waidi Shaibu, for the privilege granted to him and his entourage during the visit, especially the guard of honour he was welcomed with upon arrival at the theatre.

The Lord said,” I start by thanking all of you in general, particularly you, for the absolute privilege that we all felt in having the Honour Guard there to welcome us when we arrived. It was a very moving experience, but it also demonstrated the closeness and respect that the Nigerian military had for the British military and that the British military had for the Nigerian army.

“And we should all celebrate and be thankful for that close relationship of equal parts. The General, the Government, His Majesty’s Government, still relatively new, wanted me to come to Nigeria very quickly and to say to you, as we noted in Abuja with the Defence Minister and other senior parts of Government, that His Majesty’s Government regards Nigeria as extremely important in terms of our allies, our alliances, and our friendship.

“And together, we stand for the rule of law, the respect for borders, democracy and human rights. And out of that, we will see the benefit for all of our populations, both the UK and Nigeria. So we’re very grateful for that, and the occasion today celebrates the closeness of that relationship. So thank you again, General, for that.

“And again, when we were at Defence Headquarters yesterday, that was a similar view from all the senior officers there from every military branch. You mentioned some practical examples of that as you tackle some of the terrorists that threaten aspects and parts of Nigeria and the successful work you’ve done to combat that threat through Padang Operation Hadin Kai.

“And we’ve been pleased to be able to support you in that fight. I say to everyone wherever I go, but across the world, not just in West Africa, but we talk about West Africa. Your conflict, your security, is our conflict and our security.

We cannot divorce each other from conflicts in one area of the globe, one area of the world, or one continent because it impacts all of us.

“So we’ve been pleased to support and work with you in areas, General, that you mentioned and indeed we saw from the video clip—the provision of training, working with you. And can I say to you, General, it’s not only you learning from us, but we learn from you. And I think that is an essential principle for us to have. We know the importance of tackling IEDs, the indiscriminate use of IEDs by terrorists, not only against members of the Nigerian military but also some of the consequences that it has for civilians.

“So we’re happy to have been able to work with you to support that programme. I want to continue to help you with your agreement if you want us to do that. We are also happy to see other training taking place with members of the British military here, working with your soldiers and your military in training areas.

“To see how best different exercises can be undertaken and how best different tactics can be used. Generally, training instructors to leave here to be instructors themselves is a very successful project that works exceedingly well. And I know it’s something that has gone from strength to strength.

“Nigeria’s leadership, sometimes not without difficulty, within the NNJTF, and the work that you’ve done there and continue to do, some of that is challenging. But, General, you’ve worked exceedingly hard, I know, to maintain that. And that is of fundamental importance. We will continue to discuss how we can continue supporting that effort.

“Can we see Nigeria as a partner in tackling some of the challenges you face here? But, of course, Nigeria’s success in working with other countries, in general, mentioned in your remarks the importance of working with other nations and other countries. We see Nigeria as an essential leader in the region of West Africa.

“And our most potent, most reliable partner, which we would wish to continue to celebrate with you here today. So, it’s a great honour and privilege for me to be here as a government representative. My Prime Minister asked me to come to convey that message to all of you. And I finished with this point, General, and I said to you privately it’s not only important for me to go to Abuja, but it’s also essential to meet government ministers there. Of course, that’s important. But it is also necessary for me to come out here with Defence Attaché and other members of his team to talk to those of you right on the front line of some of the challenges that we face.

“And say to your military and you, General, how much we appreciate, understand, recognise, and salute your work. But also to see our military personnel who are here to recognise the work that they do with you to meet that challenge. I finished, General, terrorism cannot win. Those who wish to undermine the rule of law, international treaties, and borders cannot be allowed to win. Countries like Nigeria and the UK need to continue to stand together as strongly as they have done in the past, as strongly as they are now. And we need to continue to do that in the future, to stand up for the values that we both hold,” he said.

In her remarks, the theatre Commander, Major General Waidi Shaibu, noted that there has been a long-standing cordial relationship between the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the government and people of the United Kingdom that spans decades.

He said the presence of the Minister of State for Defence with the command today in the JTF (NE) theatre of operation validates that assertion.

“So it gives me great pleasure to welcome Lord Vernon Coaker and his distinguished entourage to the Capital City of Maiduguri (Home of Peace), which also hosts the HQ JTF (NE) OPHK. The mandate of the JTF (NE) OPHK is to facilitate the restoration of normalcy in the Northeast region to enable socio-economic activities to thrive.

“This mandate not only places on us the responsibility of defeating the insurgency in the Northeast but also to support the civil authority to reestablish an enabling environment for the citizens to return to everyday life. This provides an opportunity for IDPs to return to their ancestral homes to re-establish livelihoods and promote economic prosperity both individually and collectively as a community.

“The fulfilment of such a mandate requires that troops are not just equipped with the necessary materials but also the knowledge and refresher training required to keep them abreast of the correct ways to handle evolving security challenges,” Shuaibu said.

He added that the JTF (NE) OPHK has ensured its personnel’s constant training and retraining through the theatre training school, responsible for conducting and coordinating training activities throughout the theatre of operation within the Northeast.

He said,” As we know, military diplomacy is one of the essential constituents of international diplomacy to foster bilateral and regional relationships. Military training cooperation is also a necessary ingredient of military diplomacy.  Hence, over the years, the BDS-WA has made significant contributions to our Insurgency efforts and training efforts by giving our troops the required knowledge and skills to discharge their tasks, especially as they relate to CIED ops.”