Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have entered a new five-year defence partnership designed to deepen military cooperation and expand joint efforts against emerging security threats.
The agreement, reported on Tuesday by ARISE News, was announced in a statement from Ahmed Dan Wudil, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of State for Defence.
According to the statement, the pact covers “strategic collaboration across security, military training, intelligence sharing, defence production, and joint operations for sustainable security development.”
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Mohammed Matawalle, while Dr Khaleed H Al-Biyari signed on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Defence Ministry said it welcomed the development, expressing optimism that ongoing unrest in parts of the country “will soon be over.”
The announcement comes as Matawalle faces renewed public scrutiny following the circulation of an old video in which, as governor of Zamfara State, he spoke about terrorism.
Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode condemned the criticism as a “vicious media campaign,” insisting the attacks were “shameless and nauseating.”
Fani-Kayode defended Matawalle’s record, arguing that the minister had shown firm loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and played a central role in counter-terrorism operations.
He said cooperation between Matawalle and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu “has resulted in the killing of more terrorists in the last two years than in the previous eight put together.”
The Former Minister criticised what he called the government’s reluctance to highlight security gains, saying his “only grouse” was that such achievements were not publicised.
He urged Matawalle to remain focused, describing him as “a ruthless and courageous fighter” and adding: “We are with you, my brother, and more importantly, God is behind you.”
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