By Ibrahim Muhammad
Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at deepening military and defence collaboration between the two countries.
The agreement, announced in a statement issued by Ahmed Dan Wudil, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of State for Defence, covers strategic areas such as military training, intelligence sharing, defence production, and joint operations to strengthen security and stability.
Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Mohammed Bello Matawalle, signed the pact on behalf of Nigeria, while Dr. Khaleed H. Al-Biyari represented the Saudi government. The ministry described the MoU as a major step toward expanding bilateral ties and enhancing joint efforts to confront emerging security threats.
Matawalle welcomed the development, expressing optimism that the collaboration would help address ongoing security challenges across parts of the country.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu’s former spokesman in the Southeast, Denge Josef Onoh, has called for Matawalle’s immediate resignation over a resurfaced video in which the minister, during his tenure as Zamfara State governor, appeared to express sympathy for bandits.
In the 2021 clip, Matawalle referred to the armed groups as “our brothers” who were driven into crime, a comment that has reignited public criticism.
Onoh argued that Nigeria is fighting an existential battle against terrorism, banditry and violent extremism, with security forces making heavy sacrifices to safeguard the nation. He said Nigerians deserve assurance that all individuals in sensitive national security positions are fully committed to defeating violent groups, without ambiguity or a questionable record.
He added that the re-emergence of the video has understandably triggered widespread outrage and concerns over the minister’s past stance on dialogue and amnesty for bandits.
