President Bola Tinubu has called for the establishment of a regional counter-terrorism centre that will serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination and capacity building in Africa.
President Tinubu told an African High-level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism in Abuja on Monday, that Africa must take a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism by addressing the root causes of the scourge such as poverty, inequality, and social injustice.
The African High-level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism holding in Abuja offers a unique opportunity for key players to brainstorm on possible solutions to terrorism and violent extremism that have continued to spread across West Africa, the African continent and the rest of the world at an alarming rate
President Bola Tinubu noted that to effectively counter the threats posed by terrorism to Africa, leaders in the continent must attack the roots that feed the evil branches such as ransom and illegal mining, terrorism and other perfect ways to continuously finance, re-equip, and re-supply itself for its sinister mission.
The President said that besides the indispensability of a regional standby force which mandate includes tackling terrorism, the African region must also strengthen existing counter-terrorism structures such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) in Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) in Algiers, and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Addis Ababa.
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Vladimir Voronkov commended Nigeria for its leadership in counter-terrorism in Africa and for hosting the meeting.
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed suggested that Africa must work to rebuild its social contract with its citizens, and deliver good governance.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Insists that terrorism in Africa is driven by a number of factors, including organized crime, foreign terrorist financing and training, inequality, and prolonged conflicts.
He however informed the gathering that Nigeria has continued to strengthen its judiciary to effectively deal with cases of terrorism while earmarking substantial funds to boost counter-terrorism efforts.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
