The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has called for stronger regional military cooperation and broader African participation in joint security initiatives to tackle the growing threat of terrorism, insurgency and transnational organised crime.
Abbas made the call on Friday, September 11, 2026, when he received the Chief of Staff, ECOWAS Standby Force, Brigadier General Sheikh Sulaiman Massaquoi, who paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Naval Staff at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.
The CNS particularly advocated closer collaboration between the ECOWAS Standby Force and the recently launched Combined Maritime Task Force–Gulf of Guinea (CMTF-GoG), noting that security threats increasingly cut across land and maritime domains.
He stressed that broader regional participation in the CMTF-GoG would strengthen collective capabilities to combat transnational maritime threats and enhance security across the Gulf of Guinea.
Vice Admiral Abbas also highlighted Nigeria’s contribution to regional security through strategic maritime logistics and sealift operations.
He cited the recent movement of China-donated ECOWAS equipment destined for frontline countries, including Benin Republic and Sierra Leone, as an example of the importance of regional logistics and mobility in supporting collective security efforts.
The CNS further recalled the Nigerian Navy’s strategic sealift of military equipment to Guinea-Bissau in 2022, when NNS KADA transported equipment for the Nigerian contingent deployed under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission.
According to him, such operations demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to provide critical maritime logistics support to regional peace and security initiatives.
Abbas called for the strengthening of the ECOWAS Standby Force to ensure that it remains operationally ready and capable of rapid deployment against shared transnational threats.
He emphasised the need for shared intelligence, interoperable forces, joint operations and sustained political commitment, arguing that no country can effectively confront Africa’s increasingly interconnected security challenges in isolation.
In his remarks, Brigadier General Massaquoi conveyed the greetings of the President of the ECOWAS Commission and acknowledged Nigeria’s significant contribution to regional security.
He expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s continued support for ECOWAS initiatives while underscoring the need to strengthen the maritime component of the regional security architecture.
The engagement reinforced Nigeria’s advocacy for greater regional interoperability and cooperation as part of efforts to build a more responsive security framework for the Gulf of Guinea and the wider West African sub-region.
