Tinubu seeks establishment of Africa-led counter-terrorism center
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has nudged African nations to establish a regional counter-terrorism centre.
He spoke at the African High-level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism, held in Abuja on Monday. The centre, he said, would aid intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building throughout Africa.
“Key to our collective efforts against terrorism is the urgent need for a fully operational Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre.
“Such a force can stand as a strong deterrent to large scale and protracted terrorist operations and the capture, occupation or disruption of strategic land and resources,” the Nigerian president stated.
He, equally, stated that illegal mining taking place in several parts of Africa is a major source of terrorism-financing to be tackled and urged the international community to stop external financial flows funneled into such activities.
“We shall be knocking on this door of the international community to answer this call for justice, peace, and fair play,” he said
Also at the event, Nuhu Ribadu, Tinubu’s national security adviser, spoke of the country’s efforts to prosecute terrorists, tackle the factors enabling insecurity while strengthening the judiciary.
“We have resumed the prosecution of Boko Haram suspects across the country,” he said.
On her part, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohammed told participant countries urged “to pay attention to women and girls who are greatly impacted by terrorism, including the youth.”
He also advised them to ‘provide support and healing for those impacted by terrorism’ is important.” In his own remarks, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Mr. Vladimir Voronkov said that “terrorism is a threat to peace and security, particularly in Africa where its impact is mostly felt.”
According to him “the success of UNOCT in Africa hinges on its support for Africa-led programmes and solutions.”
