ECOWAS to assist Nigeria on counter- terrorism – Mahama

Abuja – ECOWAS leaders had decided to invoke the community’s protocols on counter-terrorism to defeat terrorism and support Nigeria’s efforts to rescue the abducted school girls in Chibok, Borno. The President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama, made the disclosure on Thursday at a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on the sideline of the World Economic Forum on Africa yaking place in Abuja. The Ghanaian leader told President Jonathan that a meeting of heads of intelligence services of ECOWAS member- countries would hold in Accra next week. He added that the meeting was specifically summoned to work out a new framework for intelligence sharing in support of efforts to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region. Jonathan also met with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Kadré Ouédraogo, who brought a message of solidarity from ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. The President, also at the venue of the World Economic Forum, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle. Jonathan and the U.S. ambassador discussed modalities for the actualisation of the offer made by President Barack Obama to assist Nigeria in rescuing the abducted Chibok school girls. The meeting also discussed the talks held on Wednesday between Mr Entwistle and Nigerian security officials on the U.S. offer of assistance. At the meeting, President Jonathan reiterated Nigeria’s appreciation of the U.S. offer to deploy its security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation. Jonathan told the ambassador, as well as other delegations which met separately with him that the support Nigeria was receiving from the international community in the aftermath of the Chibok abduction would certainly help the country to rapidly overcome the Boko Haram insurgency. The President also had private meetings with Prof. Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum. Schwab said Nigeria deserved the maximum solidarity of the world at its trying moment. The President later met with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, former President Lula Da Silva of Brazil and the Prime Minister of Mali, Mr Moussa Mara, all of who conveyed the solidarity of their governments and people. Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, also on Thursday, conveyed the sympathy and solidarity of the global community with the government and people of Nigeria. Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said that Ban spoke with President Jonathan on the phone. He said that Ban had assured President Jonathan of UN’s readiness to help Nigeria in every possible way to rescue the abducted girls and achieve greater security of lives and property in all parts of the country.