By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) says Nigeria and the United States of America are committed to lead global coalition against ISIS and other terrorist groups in the world.

A statement by ONSA on Saturday in Abuja, disclosed that the decision was reached during a virtual meeting of the 82-member global coalition drawn from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East on Tuesday.

ONSA said the virtual meeting which was co-chaired by the coordinators of the National Counter Terrorism of Nigeria and U.S. also had the Africa Union, European Union, ECOWAS and G5 Sahel represented among other international and regional organisations.

The Nigeria delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), was represented by the Coordinator of the Nigeria Counter Terrorism Centre, Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa.

He noted that the challenges of global terrorism had negatively impacted on the economy, polity and livelihoods of people as apparent in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and parts of the North-Eastern Nigeria.

According to ONSA, the meeting deliberated on key issues including sessions on understanding and countering the ISIS threat.

“The session, moderated by U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel, Ambassador J. Peter Pham had panelists from Global Coalition members Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Niger, and co-host Nigeria providing key perspectives on evolution of ISIS affiliates and their troubling activities in West Africa.

“The panelists also provided useful ways the Global Coalition could enhance efforts to curb the expanding influence of ISIS in the West Africa and the Sahel.

“Discussions also centered on lessons learnt from the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and reviewing of potential lines of efforts, including the use of battlefield evidence and border security measures and how these lessons and lines of efforts could be applied in West Africa and the Sahel,” it stated.

ONSA said that Nigeria’s roles in the fight against terrorism in the sub region was also acknowledged and applauded during the meeting.

It also stated that the leading role of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari towards defeating terrorism in West Africa was commended.

According to the statement, the meeting noted that ISIS was undermining state authorities and peoples’ means of livelihood across the globe, particularly in Africa where more affiliates were springing up.

“It was stressed that terrorists across the globe exploit some drivers, including economic imbalance and marginalisation among other local grievances to penetrate the local population.

“The meeting called for more measures to counter radicalisation, recruitment of gullible individuals and concerted global efforts to defeat ISIS.

“At the end of the meeting, the co-host, Nigeria and USA as well as the 82-member global coalition reaffirmed full commitment to defeating ISIS and other terror groups including ISWAP and Boko Haram in Nigeria.

“Nigeria also expressed her readiness to seek for more support and partnership within the activities and mandates of the Global Coalition against ISIS to enhance its ongoing operations against terrorism in the North East and efforts in preventing and countering violent extremism in the country,” it added. (NAN)

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