Defence minister Bashir Magashi has called for a new border template to minimise cross-border crimes. This is contained in a statement issued Tuesday by the minister’s media aide Mohammad Abdulkadri.

Mr Magashi made the call during a meeting with a delegation of experts from the United Nations Independent High-Level Panel on Security, Governance and Development in the Sahel.

The minister noted that Nigeria was doing pretty well under President Muhammadu Buhari in curtailing terrorists, especially in the North-East. He also noted that Nigeria was contributing more than other cooperating states in counterpart funding, deployment of manpower and provision of other logistics in the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF.

He, however, made a case for improved resources on the part of the United Nations towards the promotion of global peace and regional economic prosperity to reduce poverty at all levels.

The head of the UN Mission and leader of the four-man delegation Abdullahi Boureima alongside Nigerian panellist Jibrin Ibrahim said the panel’s mandate includes security, governance and development concerns facing the Sahel region.

They explained that part of the reasons for the meeting in all countries of their assignments, including Nigeria, was to articulate and aggregate views on how to surmount the existential challenges facing the Sahel region effectively.

(NAN)