The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS is set to deploy regional standby Stabilisation force in 2027 as it commences the deployment of armed equipment and logistics center in Sierra Leone.
Speaking during official handover of 4x Vehicles to Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters Garrison by ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, in preparation towards the shipment of the equipment, the Commissioner of Internal Services, Dr. Habibu Bappah thanked Nigeria for providing leadership in the region.
Dr. Bappah who is also the Chief Logistics Officer of the community was on the inspection tour of the equipment alongside ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah where Nigeria donated three multi-purpose vehicles.
The ECOWAS Commissioner of Internal Services said: “it is time to move the equipment to Sierra Leone after staying very long in Nigeria because the logistics depot was not ready, but today it has been launched and it is time to move this equipment.”
“They are very important equipment that have been donated by the Chinese government towards supporting our peace support operation in the ECOWAS member States,” he said.
Dr. Bappah commended Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his support to ECOWAS, not only on peace and security matters, but also on development matters.
“This equipment includes camp beds, water cabins, command and control communication equipment and would go a long way in helping our armed forces at the forefront in the fight against terrorism,” Dr. Bappah explained.
He said that some of the equipment would be sent to the Benin Republic, which is the latest country that is in the forefront to counter against terrorism.
The ECOWAS Commissioner of Internal Services said the Benin Republic support was another gesture from ECOWAS to help the country in confronting the menace of terrorism in the region.
“This strategic intervention aims to preempt any threats to the nation’s constitutional order and safeguard its hard-earn democratic institutions,” he emphasised.
On his part, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah said the visit to Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters Garrison was symbolic and equally important.
He said “With the issue of terrorism that is affecting the region, we need to deploy a force very soon, and we intend to do so with the counter-terrorism brigade by the middle of next year”.
Ambassador Musah said that the ECOWAS Counterterrorism Brigade is expected to reach full operational capability by July, 2027.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security expressed the commission’s gratitude to Nigeria’s government for “eventually, agreeing to transport the equipment from Nigeria to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where that equipment will become useful in the logistics depot of the community.”
Dr. Musah added that ECOWAS Commission’s gratitude is not only for what they are doing today but what Nigeria has meant for West Africa since the creation of ECOWAS in 1975.
The deployment underscores the ECOWAS renewed commitment to its foundational protocol on democracy and good governance, which mandates collective action against unconstitutional changes of government in the region.
