Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has been quoted by a print medium to have said that the Boko Haram insurgent group in Nigeria has links with terror groups in Northern Mali.
General Buratai was said to have made this disclosure on Monday while receiving his Malian counterpart, Colonel Babi Abdulrahman, at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.
According to the Nigerian Army chief, the link was proven by the recent arrest of two Boko Haram recruiters in Senegal and Mali.
“Nigeria and Mali are confronted with a similar security threat of terrorism. As the threat grows globally, it is important for us to partner and tackle this menace,” said Buratai.
“The Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria have been investigated to have links with terror groups in Northern Mali.
“This is proved with the arrest of two Boko Haram recruiters in Senegal and Mali. We are ready to cooperate with you on fighting terrorism.
“The threats in northern Mali are direct threats to Nigeria because of the established relationship between the Boko Haram and armed groups in Mali.
He said in spite of the occasional attacks by the insurgents, the Nigerian army has largely crippled their activities.
“In Nigeria, the height of the Boko Haram insurgency was in August 2014, when the terrorists declared Gwoza as a caliphate, but we have been able to decimate the terrorists,” he said.
“Some of the terrorists still carry out attacks on isolated and remote areas of the North-East, but we are not resting on our oars,” he was quoted to have said.
Responding, the Malian Army Chief, Abdulrahman, said the aim of the visit was to explore areas of military cooperation between the two countries, adding that the Malian army had a lot to learn from its Nigerian counterpart.
