'Terrorists now work in alliance with ISIS,' Osinbajo says

dimeji akinloye

April 26, 2017 7:19 AM

Osinbajo called all countries affected by terrorist activities to also form a stronger force to tackle the "evil collaborations."

Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo

Nigerias Vice-President

The Abubakar Shekau-led terror group first pledged allegiance to ISIS in March 2015.

This is contained in a statement released by Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice-President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.

Osinbajo was said to have stated this while receiving the Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Abu Belal Muhammad, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said in light of the strong networking among terrorist groups, it has become crucial for countries to close ranks to counter the threats posed by their activities.

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Osinbajo said, "We are concerned about terrorism not just within our borders, we have also seen the influence of terrorists across borders and how terrorist organisations have cooperated with each other.

"We are aware for instance that some within our own borders are cooperating with ISIL and we think that this sort of evil collaborations must have a response from countries that share similar experiences and can present a credible force against terrorists.

"Terrorism is a major problem and perhaps the most significant problem that the free world will face in the coming years."

On the Nigeria-Bangladesh relations, the Vice-President said improved cooperation between the Bangladeshi and Nigerian military would go a long way in curbing threats posed by terrorist groups within and around borders of the two countries.

"We have benefitted a lot from some of your experiences in fighting insurgency in Bangladesh and we hope that we benefit even more from those experiences.

"We have had similar problems with Boko Haram and I know that you have also had problems of some sort with terrorist groups within the borders of Bangladesh," he added.

dimeji akinloye