The Fourth Nigeria-United Kingdom (UK) Security and Defence Partnership (SDP4) Dialogue has ended in Abuja with an agreement on comprehensive review of their existing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with a specific focus on modernising security protocols, expanding technical training, and enhancing capacity-building for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The 2-day SDP4 Dialogue was hosted by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The agreement was announced when the UK National Security Adviser, Mr Jonathan Powell and his delegation paid a visit to the Nigerian Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa.
During their engagement, General Musa reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to a sustained and enhanced strategic partnership with the United Kingdom to tackle evolving security challenges.
Musa emphasised the importance of deepening the bilateral ties, particularly in the critical areas of counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, and regional stability.
“Nigeria values its historic and strategic relationship with the United Kingdom,” the Minister stated.
The SDP4 was co-led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his UK counterpart, Jonathan Powell and was aimed at cementing global alliance during the summit towards combating the menace of terrorism, banditry and other forms of violent crimes in the country.
The high-level summit set a robust agenda for bilateral security cooperation through 2026 and beyond.
Participants discussed ways of enhancing collaboration in areas such as defence cooperation, intelligence sharing, capacity building and regional security.
Security officials noted that the longstanding partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom remained vital to efforts aimed at tackling security threats and promoting stability.
They added that the partnership had continued to support the development of military and security capabilities through training, technical assistance and strategic engagements.