By Bello Shittu
The Federal Government has assured that Nigeria would not allow any of its territory to be used as a breeding ground to destabilise Cameroon.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, gave the assurance at the opening of the 6th Session of The Cameroon/Nigeria Trans-Border Security Committee.
Mungono, while declaring Nigeria’s support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cameroon, however, advised the Cameroonian authorities to engage all aggrieved parties to a dialogue to reduce the already heated tension in Anglophone regions.
The NSA also urged the Cameroonian authorities to facilitate the return of Cameroonian refugees that have crossed the border into Nigerian territory due to heightened tension in the region.
He said that Nigeria, as a signatory of most of the United Nation’s International protocols on the Rights of Refugees and their humane treatment, would enforce these provisions.
Mungono, while noting Nigeria’s stand on the conflicts bedeviling that country, Mungono said, “There should be no doubt whatsoever, of Nigeria’s support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cameroon.”
“ encourage the Cameroonian authorities to engage all aggrieved parties in a constructive manner to de-escalate tensions in Anglophone regions.”
He said the meeting was expected to examine trans-border security issues and build on successes recorded so far in the actualization of peace and security along the borders.
In his address at the occasion, Cameroon Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, commended the collaborative efforts between Nigeria and Cameroon that decimated the Boko Haram Terrorist group and called for a review of existing laws and agreements in order to strengthen the security frame work to ensure trans-border and regional security.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Ibrahim, called for developing common institutions to facilitate peaceful coexistence along borderlines.
She said the collaboration between Nigerian troops and Cameroon Defence forces has resonated in the decimation of the threat posed by Boko Haram Terrorists group in recent years.
