Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, yesterday, expressed concern over the presence of United States (U.S.) security forces in Nigeria, and also the war involving Iran, the U.S.-Israel, and other nations of the world.

The monarch made his concerns known when the newly deployed 4-Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army, Benin, Major-General Ahmed Balogun, paid him a courtesy call at his Palace in Benin City.

The monarch, who served as Nigerian Ambassador to the Scandinavian nation and Italy before he ascended the throne of his forebears, said: “The American troops are in the country assisting the Nigerian military to fight insurgency.” He pledged the support of traditional institutions to troops on the battlefield in defence of the territorial integrity.

The Oba of Benin, therefore, prayed to God Almighty and his ancestors to protect Nigeria and U.S. security forces from harm’s way.

Earlier in his address, the 4-Brigade Commander said the purpose of his visit was to notify the paramount traditional ruler of his deployment to the Command.

And to solicit prayer to enable him achieve the mandate of the agency, he said: “When we go to places and meet people who support us to achieve our mandate in protecting and defending the nation, it is only customary that we acknowledge such support. And this is one of the reasons we are here to pay respect to the great Benin throne.

“I am a Yoruba by tribe, and I know that we share close affinity with the Benin throne. And way back in school, I read so much about the great throne of the Oba of Benin,” Balogun said.

In a related development, the Benin monarch also received the Assistant Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Zone G, ACG Josephine Ogbefun, and members of her management team. They were in the palace to solicit the prayer and support of the palace. (NAN)