The International Human Rights Protection Service Forum has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Nigerian Army on civil-military dialogue, human rights promotion, intelligence gathering and other support programmes.
The Special Envoy to West Africa of the forum, Ambassador Dr Charles Omini, made the commitment on Friday, August 14, 2026, when he led a delegation of the organisation on a visit to the Department of Civil-Military Affairs at Army Headquarters Annex A, WU Bassey Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja.
The delegation was received by the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General Musa Awwal Etsu-Ndagi, on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaib.
Omini commended the Department of Civil-Military Affairs for its programmes aimed at strengthening relations and bridging the gap between the Nigerian Army and the civil populace.
He said the organisation was prepared to support the Army in civil-military dialogue and strengthen the capacity of the Department of Civil-Military Affairs through human rights certification, intelligence gathering and other support initiatives.
The envoy also commended the Chief of Army Staff for what he described as exemplary leadership, saying the Army under Shuaib had recorded significant victories against insurgents and other criminal elements across the country.
Responding, Etsu-Ndagi thanked Omini for recognising the Army’s non-kinetic operations and its efforts to sustain cordial relations with civilians.
He said collaboration between the Nigerian Army, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations had contributed significantly to the success of the military’s internal security operations.
The general stressed the importance of continued engagement between the military and civilian stakeholders, urging Nigerians to regard the Nigerian Army as a people’s Army.
He assured the delegation that the Army remained open to further partnerships capable of strengthening civil-military relations and supporting national security.
The proposed collaboration comes amid growing emphasis on non-kinetic approaches to internal security, including community engagement, human rights awareness, intelligence sharing and confidence-building between security forces and civilians.
