Nigerian President Jonathan Goodluck. Photo: Wiki Commons.

JNS.org – A Nigerian government official praised Israel for being a “crucial and loyal ally” in his country’s fight against the Islamic terror group Boko Haram.

“Israel has been a crucial and loyal ally in our fight against Boko Haram,” Mike Omeri, the chief coordinating spokesman of Nigeria’s National Information Center, told the Jerusalem Post. “It is a sad reality that Israel has a great deal of experience confronting terrorism. Our Israeli partners have used that experience, and the unique expertise gained over years of fighting terror within its own borders, to assist us.”

Nigeria has forged closer ties with Israel in recent years under President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2013, Jonathan visited Israel and signed an aviation deal to allow more Nigerian Christian pilgrims to visit the Jewish state. Israel, meanwhile, has provided assistance to Nigeria in the search for about 300 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram last year.

Nigerian-Israeli relations have also borne fruit on the diplomatic front. Nigeria recently voted to abstain on a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for Israeli withdrawal from the disputed territories by 2017 and the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state.