Niger coup: UK Defence minister meets Nigerian military chiefs

James Heappey, the United Kingdom’s Minister for the Armed Forces, arrived in Nigeria this week to meet with military chiefs and high-ranking defence officials to further strengthen defence cooperation between the two nations and talk about the situation in Niger.

On Wednesday, Heappey met with top officials from the Nigerian Ministry of Defence, including the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff.

During his meeting with the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, he reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s backing for the ECOWAS’s continuous diplomatic endeavours to facilitate Niger’s peaceful transition back to democracy.

“I’m delighted to return to Nigeria for the third time in three years. The UK and Nigerian armed forces have a longstanding partnership through which we continue to tackle violent extremism and other security threats in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea,” he said

“The UK supports ECOWAS in calling for the peaceful restoration of constitutional order and democracy in Niger, and we’ll work with both ECOWAS and our partners across West Africa to support them in that aim,” he added.

With a common goal to promote regional and global peace and security, the UK and Nigeria have strong and long-standing security and defence cooperation.

The partnership is centred on UK’s support for the Nigerian Armed Forces, which helps Nigerians become more capable of addressing security challenges and instability.

Nigeria plays a pivotal role in advancing security cooperation in the region and combating violent extremism throughout West Africa, encompassing the Lake Chad Basin.

The UK condemns the ongoing coup against Niger’s elected administration in the strongest terms. It acknowledges Nigeria’s diplomatic mediation attempts to restore democracy in Niger through its membership in ECOWAS peacefully.