President Bola Tinubu will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday over the worsening spate of terrorism in the Sahel region.

Mr Tinubu disclosed this on Wednesday during his address at the ceremonial state banquet held at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom.

Seeking bilateral cooperation with the United Kingdom, Mr Tinubu said his scheduled meeting with Mr Starmer would aim to secure a partnership to confront the ravaging insecurity and terrorism threats in West Africa.

Describing the wave of insecurity across the Sahel as complex, Mr Tinubu said Nigeria shouldered a huge responsibility to protect and ensure regional stability.

“Our West African region faces complex terrorism challenges with roots in the Sahel. Nigeria carries an enormous responsibility to help safeguard regional stability,” Mr Tinubu said. “In confronting these threats, partnership with the United Kingdom remains essential and I look forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Kier Starmer tomorrow.”

Mr Tinubu’s scheduled meeting with Mr Starmer will be held against the backdrop of deadly suicide bombings on Monday in Borno, which killed no fewer than 23 people and injured more than 100.

The coordinated bombings by Boko Haram terrorists occurred at the Maiduguri Central Market (popularly known as Monday Market), the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital’s gate, and the Post Office Flyover area of the town.

Similarly, in West Africa and across the Sahel, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram, among other actors, have continued to threaten peace and stability.

Countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Nigeria, which are most affected, have continued to record armed raids on villages, targeted abductions, displacements and continuing loss of lives and properties.