The Defence Attachés of the United Kingdom and Germany to Nigeria have reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to supporting Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and insurgency following a strategic visit to the Headquarters Theatre Command of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in Maiduguri.
The UK Defence Attaché, Brigadier Tom Harper, and his German counterpart, Colonel Boris Bovecamp, made the pledge during their historic visit to the theatre on Wednesday, February 18, according to a statement issued by the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba.
Speaking during the engagement, Brigadier Harper highlighted the strong and enduring relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, built on mutual respect and shared values of democracy, rule of law and human rights. He commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for their resilience and operational successes in tackling terrorism in the North-East through Operation HADIN KAI.
He further reiterated the United Kingdom’s commitment to expanding training assistance through the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT), aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness and professionalism among Nigerian troops.
Similarly, Colonel Bovecamp stated that his visit was intended to explore additional areas of collaboration, particularly in capacity building and regional cooperation frameworks. He noted that strengthened partnerships and coordinated interventions would further enhance operational efficiency in ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism.
In his remarks, the Theatre Commander, Operation HADIN KAI, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, commended the continued support from the United Kingdom and Germany, noting that international training initiatives have significantly improved the skills, readiness and proficiency of troops confronting evolving security challenges in the theatre of operations.
He also identified future areas of collaboration to include technical expertise, equipment provision and logistics support to bolster ongoing counter-insurgency efforts.
The visit concluded with the signing of the visitors’ register, presentation of souvenirs and a group photograph.
