The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has disclosed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to assist Nigeria in addressing the growing security threats, particularly the targeted attacks on Christians.
Freeman, who spoke during an interview on Prime Time, a current affairs programme on Arise Television, on Monday, said the support will focus on intelligence sharing and security cooperation.
While reaffirming Israel’s commitment to Nigeria’s stability, Freeman emphasised that all assistance will be done with full consent and direction from Nigerian authorities.
“We will be led by the Nigerian government as to where we can work and partner to help tackle insecurity as a whole within the country,” the ambassador stated.
He, however, stressed that the nature of intelligence-based support requires discretion.
He said, “Any communication behind the scenes will obviously remain behind the scenes. When you’re dealing with issues of intelligence and information, it’s not something that we’re going to talk about publicly, because that would undermine the entire purpose of having a conversation about intelligence.”
Freeman clarified that Netanyahu’s remarks were not exclusive to Nigeria but part of a broader concern for the safety of Christians globally.
“What Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about was Christians across the world. He didn’t only speak about Christians in Nigeria. He spoke about Christians across the world,” he explained.
He also highlighted Israel’s record of religious tolerance, pointing out that it remains the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is on the rise.
“He highlighted the fact that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing. And I think that was the point that Prime Minister Netanyahu was making,” Freeman added.