Buhari Returns To Abuja After D-8 Summit In Turkey

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja from Turkey where he participated in the 9th D-8 Summit.

President Buhari, who returned to the country on Sunday alongside his wife, Aisha, was received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 4.05p.m by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammad Bello and other government officials.

During his four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul, the president was hosted by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyeb Erdogan for “a fairly long one-on-one meeting.’’

Buhari equally held a bilateral meeting withTurkish ministers and other top government officials in the country.

The President’s Spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation and trade cooperation were top on Buhari’s discussion with the turkish government.

“The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the `D-8’ member-countries and the establishment of a positive working relationship, especially between Buhari and Erdogan,’’ Shehu said.

“Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organisation “FETO” which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot in 2016, which the Turkish population gallantly resisted.

“There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organisation and for which reason their passports have been declared invalid by their country.

“Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organisation which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organisations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more.

“Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organisations for which they need each other’s help.

“There is equally the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbors, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands.’’

Shehu further revealed that the Nigerian and Turkish governments both agreed to sign an agreement against weapon, humans and drug trafficking between both countries.

“Our team which included the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) and the Comptroller-General of NCS Ali reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration,’’ he said.