Nigeria is in process of defeating insecurity – UK security adviser

Brigadier Tom Harper MBE, UK’s Defence Adviser to Nigeria, has spent a year working closely with Nigeria’s armed forces, contributing to areas such as counterterrorism training, maritime security and regional collaboration. During an interview with Weekend Trust to reflect on his time so far in the country, he expressed optimism that Nigeria would eventually defeat […]

Brigadier Tom Harper MBE, UK’s Defence Adviser to Nigeria, has spent a year working closely with Nigeria’s armed forces, contributing to areas such as counterterrorism training, maritime security and regional collaboration. During an interview with Weekend Trust to reflect on his time so far in the country, he expressed optimism that Nigeria would eventually defeat insecurity. He also spoke on efforts to tackle insecurity in the West African region and the Gulf of Guinea.

 

Looking back at your first year in Nigeria, what would you say has been the most powerful aspect of the UK-Nigeria defence cooperation?

I have got to say, first and foremost, that it has been security and defence partnership (SDP). Last November, we signed a security partnership between our two countries. And the SDP is one of the key pillars of that. I arrived in August last year. The SDP, from 2024, was signed in February. So I inherited the commitments.

Two of the key things that came out of that for us were up in Maiduguri. In support of Operation Hadin Kai was the delivery of 450,000pounds worth of counter improvised explosive device equipment for troops up there, as well as working with their counter IED coordination cell. And that’s very much looking at intelligence to do with the IED threat in order to assist the forces up there to be more effective in countering that.

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What outcomes have you observed so far from UK’s support of Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, particularly in the North-East? Is there any link between your engagement with the armed forces and the latest feats recorded by troops in the arrest of top terrorist leaders?

Unfortunately, throughout my military career, I have seen the impacts of terrorism. And having visited Maiduguri a couple of times now, I really feel for the innocent civilians who are impacted by the activities that terrorists get up to.

I wish to commend the bravery and the commitment of the Nigerian security forces, not just the armed forces but also the police and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps. They are doing a really difficult job up there and I recognise that.

On the frontline, in terms of Operation Hadin Kai, we have run a number of train-the-trainer packages for instructors across all sectors. The idea is that we bring in Nigerian instructors into Maiduguri and train them on medical life-saving skills, counter-IED skills and various levels of patrolling. The idea is that they can then cascade them when they get back to the units and bring the latest techniques.

For that, we have used our extensive experience from places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland. But we fuse that with the lessons we are learning from the Nigerian military, given the nature of the threat they are feeling or witnessing here in Nigeria. We are also running human security courses, not only for the military, but also the police and the NSCDC.

Winning the support of the population is a really important aspect of countering terrorism. Again, my experience with the Nigerian military has been incredibly forward-leaning, in terms of accepting training and looking to take that forward, mainstreaming gender, helping to prevent sex-based violence – things like that. So, it is really positive.

That’s what we have been doing at the frontline. Back here in Abuja, we have got very extensive links with the National Counterterrorism Centre. We have done a number of training courses with them, looking at command and control at the strategic and operational level.

We have run a counter-ID roundtable to offer advice and convene experts to look at how we take a whole-of-society approach to countering IEDs. We ran a human security and justice symposium because, of course, there’s dealing with the terrorists at the front end. But there is the day when people need to be held to account. Justice needs to be seen to have been served but in a way that respects human rights. Those are just some of the examples of the ways we are engaging.

On your addendum question, we were not involved (in the arrest of the high-profile terrorists). But once again, I salute the clear technical expertise and accomplishments of the Nigerian Security Service in making those high-profile arrests and hope that it makes a healthy contribution to the restoration of stability and peace in Nigeria.

 

Some Nigerians are agitated that there is no commensurate effort by foreign partners to replicate efforts in the North-East and North-West especially, where many believe the terrorists have migrated to, attacking communities with ease and overrunning security agencies. Could that be correct?

I won’t answer for other countries, but for us, we have got a long-standing commitment to the North-East and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, which is where we have prioritised our efforts.

Some of the other trainings we are doing for the Nigerian military are further backed by having a number of skills, including human security, which are translated for any unit wherever they serve in Nigeria. So, I am confident that we are making a contribution, albeit indirectly.

When we had the recent Security Defence Partnership Dialogue in London, one of the things the Nigerian Air Force briefed us on was their civilian harm risk mitigation action plan. And I know they are applying that nationally.

I would hope that people would start to see more effect in the North-West in due course. But for now, just because of our legacy, commitment and networking, our focus remains more towards the North-East.

 

Maritime security is a growing concern, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. How is the UK working with Nigeria to strengthen its naval capabilities?

The United Kingdom was a founding member of the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea. So, we have an active interest in that forum and how it applies to the region.

Specifically, here in Nigeria, last year in October, we had the visit of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship, the Lion Bay; and on that ship, there were a number of royal marines. And they did some training alongside the Nigerian Special Boat Service to look at vessel boarding, seizure and search. And this is all with a view to being able to do law enforcement, recognising the many challenges we see in the maritime domain – from piracy, illegal fishing and transnational crime. And I am aware that specifically to Nigeria, there is oil bunkering and things like that in the inland waters. So, we have a very healthy relationship with the Nigerian Special Boat Service.

We have not only done the training with Lion Bay, but actually, only in July, we did our latest iteration of that vessel boarding, seizure and search training, bearing in mind that the Special Force operates not only in the sea but also on land.  We have done work with them on their land-based tactics and skills.

That has been one aspect. The other aspect is through the National Defence College and all of the single-service war colleges. We contribute to their annual courses with joint operational planning. Again, that helps with their ability to plan for security in the exclusive economic zones that Nigeria is trying to protect.

 

Can you give us an insight into these training programmes you mentioned and how they align with the latest security realities?

Before I go into that, I think the long-standing relationship we have had in terms of our training together is worth putting on record. One example is the Royal College of Defence Studies, which is a one-year programme run in London for senior officers looking at the strategic context.

We have had alumni from Nigeria since the 1960s. That is a long-standing agreement. Last year, we had the first female Nigerian Army officer cadet graduate from the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst. Her name was Officer Cadet Owowoh Princess Oluchukwu.

Last year, we also had a Nigerian Air Force officer, Officer Cadet David Sangokoya, who won the International Cadet Sword of Honour. And only last month, we had two Nigerian Army majors on the British Army’s Intermediate Command and Staff course.

Both scored very well, but Major Bala won the top International Student Prize. I think that’s a testament to the quality of the officers the Nigerian military is producing. What a privilege it is to work with them. In terms of how our training is evolving, we have shifted very much.

We still have activity with the single services, but a lot of our focus now is on joint operations. When we talk about joint, that’s where one or more services are working together.

The air force and the army, or indeed all the three services have different cultures and backgrounds. How do we bring them together to operate most effectively? Examples of this include the joint operational planning course I mentioned. One of the SDP commitments from last year was setting up the Joint Warfare and Doctrine Centre, which opened on July 8 this year.

We are also looking at the interagency aspect. I talked about the National Counterterrorism Centre and the work we are doing with the police and other agencies to bring them together to operate at the strategic and operational level if there are incidents, joint operational planning courses, and in terms of war gaming.

The other thing I mentioned is technology. One of the commitments we made, in addition to the counter-IED work we announced last year and are continuing this year, is how we counter the threat of drones, which is evolving and emerging.

 

How effective would you say this training strategy has been, taking into consideration the fact that Nigeria is still struggling with insurgency after over a decade?

Based on my experience, all militaries learn when they are dealing with insurgency.

If we look at Northern Ireland for the United Kingdom – and that’s where I served as a young officer – that campaign lasted 30 years. And there were a lot of lessons we learned as part of that process. And we are trying our best to work with our partners here to share the benefits of that experience.

But as it applies to Nigeria, because the circumstances are different, there are lessons we can pull through. I believe that those training strategies and interventions would be effective, but they take time.

These challenges are very complicated. And unfortunately, all the countries that face them face a long period of work in order to restore peace.

 

Some believe that Nigeria is yet to get the right support in terms of technology in detecting the whereabouts of some of these terrorists. There are also restrictions to how Nigeria should deploy some of the logistics support. Is the UK looking towards helping Nigeria to get the right technology?

In terms of technology, we have made a commitment. I talked about the 450,000pounds worth of counter-ID equipment. I assure you that that is a cutting-edge technology, which we have put into the hands of soldiers in the North-East.

But there’s always more that can be done. I have been encouraged. You mentioned the recent success about high-profile arrests. Nigeria is clearly getting hold of some of this high-end equipment, which is having an impact and some success.

 

What about intelligence sharing? Is there any arrangement like that? And if you have it, how often do you do that?

Our contribution to that has been intelligence training. Over the course of the last year, again, I inherited out of the Security and Defence Partnership in 2024, a range of intelligence courses we delivered at the Nigerian Defence Intelligence College, just on the outskirts of Abuja.

By providing that expertise, I mentioned the counter-IUD coordination cell. We are sharing our best practice and expertise in terms of how to exploit the technologies they have got.

I understand that you mentioned it earlier, but the UK has a wide source of information that could be shared with the Nigerian military in case of attack or pursuit of terrorists or kind of imminent attack and other stuff. What I am trying to find out is how often you share that important intelligence with the Nigerian military.

Well, we do discuss contemporary security issues. For example, at the Security and Defence Partnership, we shared our understanding of the threat, but it tends to be in those larger forms.

 

Security chiefs were in Abuja for a summit recently to discuss the security of the region. Do you think some of the things they said they would do, like raising a standby force, would mitigate insecurity across the continent?

At General Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff’s invitation, I attended the opening ceremony and listened to a number of those conversations. One of the consistent themes when we look at terrorism, cybercrime and serious organised crime is that it is transnational. It doesn’t respect borders. So, anything that can be done to bring people to work together is absolutely in a positive direction.

 

As a means of tackling insecurity, especially in Nigeria, do you see collaborations, especially with neighbouring countries as one of the strategies that should be explored?

Absolutely. In addition to being the defence advisor of Nigeria, I am the head of the British Defence Staff, West Africa, which means that I am the senior officer in the region. And I work closely with my defence attaches in other countries in the region.

So far, in my first year, I had the privilege of travelling to Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Chad, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire; and in the next few weeks, I will be making my first trip to Cameroon. That has been incredibly helpful, particularly with Chad and Niger starting to understand the range of security challenges that Nigeria is facing in a regional context. We have done a number of training interventions with the multinational joint task force.

I mentioned the training packages we have been running in Maiduguri. On two occasions, we have brought soldiers from Chad, and on another occasion, soldiers from Cameroon to participate and benefit from that training to be able to cascade that down. I mentioned the establishment of the Joint Warfare and Doctrine Centre.

 One of the things the Chief of Defence Operations was keen to emphasise is the desire to staff that location with officers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a view to building a regional framework of doctrine so that everybody works in the same way. There is a lot of work going on.

Of course there’s ECOWAS and the standby force you mentioned. That would be a deployable force to move around the battlefield once it is established.

That sort of collaboration and working with those other countries are really important. We are also in the process of establishing a visiting military liaison officer to ECOWAS to offer advice where it is desired to help set up that standby force and develop its doctrine.

 

What do you think stood out to you during your interactions with Nigerians in the past year? Do you think Nigerians are on the same page with their leadership in terms of addressing some of these security issues?

In terms of my experiences travelling around, I have really been taken by the warm reception I have received. Most Nigerians are incredibly welcoming, really interested in how my wife and I have found our experience living in Abuja and travelling around.

But my experience in Nigeria is not as expansive as I would like because of the security circumstances. I have managed to get to Maiduguri, I have been up to Jaji in Kaduna, I have been to Lagos. I am really looking forward to going to Makurdi. There’s so much more of this country that I would love to see.

In terms of whether people are disconnected, I don’t think they are because they are living it. When we speak to them, people are clearly affected by what is going on.

On my experience, both here in Nigeria and other countries I have visited, I think everybody just wants to be able to go about their life, earn their money and have a better life for their children. And I think that’s universal. I think they are well connected.

 

What cultural experiences stood out for you about Nigeria in the past year?

Last October, only a few weeks after my wife and I arrived, we were invited to a traditional Nigerian wedding here in Abuja, which involved both of us meeting the bride’s groom, having outfits made in his colours.

I have a kaftan and a hat, which I am told are Hausa. I have got photos I will show you. Again, it was made for me to feel incredibly welcome. What a vibrant, exciting, loud, colourful experience. We really enjoyed that.

One of the other things from a military perspective that has really surprised me is the protocol and the very formulaic approach to meetings, where everybody is recognised so that you know who is there in the order of precedence and rank. That sort of level of deference to seniority and elders is actually interesting to see. It is not something we do in the UK.

 

How do you navigate your way of being a military personnel and a diplomat?

Well, I am in my 33rd year of service; and one of the great things about being in the army is the ability to travel. So, over the course of my service, I have been on operations in the Balkans in Bosnia and Kosovo, a couple of times in Iraq. I served in Sierra Leone just after the revolution in the region.

Working with other cultures is something we do pretty regularly. I have also had the opportunity to do a couple of year-long staff courses. In the one we did in the UK, a Nigerian student was with me for the whole year in the same syndicate or class. He was a classmate. Then I did the US Army War College. That year, I got to know the Nigerian student very well.

Diplomacy is all about relationships. It has been great to touch base with those two classmates who are still serving the Nigerian military today. It is beyond somebody that I know.

They are actually friends. So, very honestly, if I am approaching a situation that I am really unsure about, I am able to phone a friend and say, ‘This is coming up; what would you recommend? How do I handle that?’ It is always good to have somebody you can call like that here in the country.

 

Looking forward to your second year, what are your top priorities? What legacy do you wish to leave behind by the time you complete your work here?

I started with the Security and Defence Partnership and that’s where I would like to end. For us, that is a great demonstration of our commitment to one another and our desire to work with Nigeria to help tackle the challenges it faces here. Partnership is the keyword there.

It is worth putting on record. And I think I have alluded to it – that while we bring British military expertise, we are learning a huge amount. You mentioned that Nigeria has been engaged in the fight for well over a decade. There’s a lot of combat experience there we can also benefit from.

As we look forward, the things I am particularly keen to do are to ensure that we meet the commitments we made at the Security and Defence Partnership. I am really keen to deepen our partnership.

In terms of legacy, it is maintaining that drumbeat of regular engagement at these senior levels. We continue to have Security and Defence Partnership dialogues as that is the greatest forum for bringing decision-makers together to determine priorities and what we need to achieve going forward, year on year.

 

The story out there about Nigeria is that no state is secure. Were you shocked when you were asked to come? Did you show some resistance?

No is the answer; and the reason is that I was working as a liaison officer in the United States Africa Command based in Germany from 2018 to 2020. During that period, I had the opportunity to visit Nigeria in 2019. And in that one week, I came to Abuja, visited Jaji, Makurdi and Maiduguri.

I came to Nigeria with my eyes wide open. I was really excited to come back. No shock.

 

Do you believe Nigeria would achieve its aim of securing the country one day?

It has to. For a country to exist, it must be able to secure itself. The country is in the process of bringing the situation under control. We are hearing more and more about agencies working together and the whole of the society’s approach to things. People will get fed up if they are not already with what is going on. I am optimistic and believe that the people are optimistic and good will triumph over evil.