Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Syndoph Endoni, has reaffirmed the country’s readiness to strengthen judicial cooperation with Burkina Faso through coordination, information sharing and enforcement mechanisms.

Endoni gave the assurance in a statement on Thursday following his meeting with Burkina Faso’s Minister of Justice, Maître Bayala, on Thursday in Ouagadougou.

He said the partnership would strengthen bilateral judicial relations, facilitate the recovery of court-ordered compensation for Nigerian trafficking victims and ensure that cross-border criminal networks were brought to justice.

According to him, Nigeria is committed to addressing human trafficking, terrorism and other transnational crimes that threaten security and justice in both countries.

He urged the Burkinabè authorities to review unresolved cases and ensure that victims received their lawful entitlements.

Endoni also stressed that the repatriation of trafficking victims should not prevent the prosecution of offenders or the enforcement of compensation orders.

He said stronger judicial arrangements would enable both countries to pursue traffickers and ensure accountability, irrespective of the victims’ locations.

“Nigeria is ready to work more closely with Burkina Faso in strengthening judicial coordination, bolstering information sharing and enforcing strategic mechanisms,” Endoni said.

Responding, Bayala assured Endoni of the ministry’s willingness to partner with Nigerian institutions to address shared security challenges, especially terrorism and human trafficking.

He said cooperation between the two countries would help close gaps exploited by criminal networks operating across jurisdictions, where offenders conceal assets or evade judicial processes.

Bayala said the partnership would also support efforts to address regional security challenges, including porous borders, the illicit movement of persons and goods, and other transnational crimes.

He reaffirmed Burkina Faso’s readiness to advance cross-border judicial cooperation, especially in investigating offences, enforcing court judgments and protecting trafficking victims.

The minister identified systematic exchange of judicial information, effective monitoring of appeals and stronger mechanisms for enforcing judicial decisions as priority areas for bilateral collaboration.

He also reiterated Burkina Faso’s willingness to work with Nigeria in tracing and recovering assets belonging to convicted traffickers to facilitate payment of court-ordered compensation to victims.

“This is particularly important for Nigerian trafficking survivors who were repatriated from Burkina Faso without receiving compensation previously awarded to them by Burkinabè courts,” he said.

The meeting, initiated by Nigeria, seeks to sustain practical security and diplomatic cooperation between both countries following Burkina Faso’s withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Burkina Faso formally exited ECOWAS alongside Mali and Niger in January 2025, with the three countries subsequently establishing regional cooperation and coordination mechanisms under the Alliance of Sahel States. (NAN)

Edited by Tosin Kolade