Tinubu vows to combat terrorism across West Africa

By Innocent Raphael

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressed deep concern over the escalating terrorism in West Africa, pledging the commitment of his government to eradicating the menace.

Tinubu stated this during his address at the opening ceremony of the ongoing African Counter-Terrorism summit in Abuja on Monday, pledging his government’s unwavering commitment to eradicating the trend, highlighting the diversion of funds from development to arms procurement for combating terrorism.

The President emphasized the need to halt terrorism at its inception, particularly its ties to illegal mining activities.

He outlined his government’s strategies for tackling insecurity, including the establishment of a regional counter-terrorism center for intelligence sharing and capacity building.

“These centres will serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, national coordination and capacity building across our region,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening existing structures like the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) and the African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT).

Despite acknowledging the complexities involved in setting up such initiatives, Tinubu underscored the urgency of creating a rapid deployment mechanism to address regional threats effectively.

The Nigerian President advocated for the establishment of an all-inclusive African Union Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism, reflecting Nigeria’s firm commitment to combating terrorism through legislative measures and enhanced counter-terrorism capabilities.

Recall that the Presidency had announced on Sunday that the summit which aims to enhance multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, will be held from Monday to Tuesday, April 23, 2024,

The event which is currently ongoing and organised by Nigeria, with support from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, is themed: ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism’.