The Federal Government on Tuesday hinted that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has put in place a Standby Force to curb terrorism and other transborder crimes in the subregion.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Dr Mohammed Badaru, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking at the 43rd edition of the ordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of the Chiefs of Defence.
The Minister explained that the meeting underscored members’ shared commitments to addressing the critical security challenges confronting the sub-region.
According to him, “My charge this morning to you all is for you to take advantage of this gathering and mobilise against those threats and focus with a view to deny terror…
“Central to the discussion in the coming days are pressing issues concerning the ECOWAS Standby Force, ECOWAS peace support operation, as well as maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. I am confident that our deliberation will be matched by a spirit of collaboration, innovation, and determination as we work towards drafting a comprehensive strategy to address the security challenges in the subregion.”
He pointed out that by leveraging their collective expertise, resources, and commitment, they can make a tangible impact on fostering peace, stability, and prosperity in the subregion.
“In this regard, I am pleased to announce the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force to combat terrorism in the subregion,” Badaru said.
“The activation of this force underscores our collective determination to confront the threat of terrorism with regards to the security of the subregion.
“With regards to the security and to ensure the safety and security of our citizens, before I take my seat, let me express my profound gratitude to each of you for your ongoing dedication, professionalism, and commitment to the security and well-being of our people.”
The Minister urged the participants to approach the deliberation with a sense of purpose, unity, and resolve, “knowing that we have the power to ensure a more secure and prosperous future for our subregion.”
This came just as the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah, said that despite the recent withdrawal of three African countries from the regional body, ECOWAS maintains free movement of persons and goods.
He also urged the gathering to critically examine the implications of their withdrawal on regional security in the course of their deliberations.
According to him, “As you are aware, on 29th January 2025, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formally withdrew their memberships from ECOWAS. Following the directives of the Authority of Heads of State and Government at the last Summit in December 2024, the ECOWAS Commission has now initiated a contingency plan to mitigate the unforeseen consequences of their withdrawal. Therefore, I call on you to critically examine the implications of their withdrawal on regional security in the course of your deliberations.
“I wish to stress that ECOWAS still has its doors open to welcome back our brothers and sisters from the countries that recently withdrew from our community.
“In this regard, the ECOWAS committee of heads of state has directed that despite the withdrawal, ECOWAS must maintain the free movement of people and goods and the rights of settlement and establishment to all citizens of our community, including those from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, in the spirit of where ECOWAS is going, that is, building a community and a united force of people and we do not want the ordinary citizens of our member states to suffer.”
Musah said the pledges made by the member states were being reconfigured in compliance with the directive to activate the Standby Force in the kinetic mode.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said that the meeting demonstrated a collective drive towards addressing the various security threats that afflict the region.
The CDS said that the military leaders were aware that without a secure and conducive environment, economic growth and development would continue to elude the region.
He therefore urged the Armed Forces to support the political leadership by entrenching a conducive and secure environment for economic development to thrive.
He commended the foresight of past leaders for setting up the platform to leverage for collective action against a common threat.
He stressed that “the complexity of the security landscape demands that we leverage our collective expertise, intelligence assets, and coordinate our efforts across borders if we must solve these challenges, as the world has become a global village and the gap between us is shrinking even more. Thus, collaboration is paramount and imperative to address both the root causes and symptoms of insecurity in our region.”
General Musa explained that it was on this basis that the agenda for the meeting was carefully crafted to focus on critical areas while building from our previous engagements.
According to him, “Some of these critical areas include the proposed review of pledges for the ECOWAS Standby Force, consideration of pledges for the ECOWAS Standby Force Counter-Terrorist Brigade, and the rotation of Staff Officers of Peace Support Operations Divisions and the ECOWAS Standby Force, as well as Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Others are the presentation on the outcome of the Governmental Experts Meeting on the ECOWAS Logistics Concept and Standing Operating Procedures for the ECOWAS Logistics Depot in Lungi.”
The CDS said the meeting will also present and review the report of the last Chiefs of Naval Staff Meeting and a presentation on the standardisation of the Table of Equipment for the ECOWAS Standby Force.
The meeting was attended by Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS countries, except Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which had withdrawn from the subregional body.
Others at the meeting were the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah; Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and members of the diplomatic community.
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