President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said the instability in Libya is affecting all countries in the Sahel region, including Nigeria. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said this while receiving a special envoy from President Idris Itno of the Republic of Chad at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President also pledged that Nigeria appreciates the support she was getting in tackling insecurity from the neighbouring country and will always be there for the Republic of Chad. “We are aware of the problem Chad has with Libya, which supports some Chadian rebels, trying to destabilize the country. The instability in Libya after 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi affects all of us in the Sahel region.

“From Mauritania to the Central Africa Republic, Gaddafi recruited gunmen, who learnt to do nothing else than to kill. When the former Libyan leader was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms, and are wreaking havoc all over the place now,” President Buhari said. Stressing that Nigeria was grateful to Chad for the diverse kinds of support given to combat the Boko Haram insurgency, the President assured that Nigeria would always back up Chad in its local and international aspirations.

The Special Envoy, Mr Amine Abba-Sidick, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Chadians Abroad, conveyed a message from his President, whom he said sent fraternal greetings to President Buhari and Nigerians in general.