FG Promises More Action Against Insurgency, Terrorism
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubakar says Nigeria is committed to the fight against insurgency and terrorism in the country and across West Africa and the Sahel.
A statement issued by Mati Ali, Personal Assistant to Minister said he made the commitment during the opening of the regional conference on combating emerging terrorist groups and strengthening sustainable security, held at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja.
“Terrorism, insurgency and insecurity are existential challenges that endanger our people, our economies, and our shared future,” he said, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has set three priorities to ensure effective security.
These, Badaru said, include integrating intelligence across the region through real-time fusion and technology to track and disrupt terror networks.
“The second is institutionalisation of joint military operations, with renewed push for the full operationalisation of the ECOWAS Standby Force and harmonized legal frameworks that leave no safe havens for extremists, and tackling the root causes of radicalisation by investing in education, youth empowerment, community resilience and accountable governance,” the defence minister said.
“Security must strengthen legitimacy, not weaken it,” he told the participants, stressing that Nigeria has positioned itself within the wider geopolitical space, and acknowledged that regional security requires a balance of African resolve and international solidarity.
He said “the Armed Forces of Nigeria have dismantled multiple terrorists/criminal strongholds, prompting thousands of surrenders”.
This, according to him led to the setting up of Operation Safe Corridor to advance the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant terrorists and insurgents, so as to reduce the cycle of violence and help communities to heal.
Badaru said Nigeria has also been rendering support for the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin.
The minister maintained that the initiatives were a demonstration of how military strength, diplomacy, and community-based solutions can complement one another and serve as models for the ECOWAS region.
“Nigeria also upholds the Yaoundé Code of Conduct to secure its land and maritime domains,” he added, and thanked the United Nations, African Union, European Union, and other international partners for their continuous support.
The defence minister said that their support had strengthened regional capacity, but added that there was the need for the partners to invest in intelligence fusion platforms, provide technical support for the ECOWAS Standby Force, and fund socio-economic programmes that block extremist recruitment pipelines.
“African resolve must be matched by sustained international partnership,” he noted, and urged the conference to move beyond declarations by delivering practical roadmap that would deepen cooperation and secures the future of West Africa.
“This conference must not end with words. It must deliver an actionable roadmap that strengthens partnerships, deepens collaboration and secures a future of peace, stability and shared prosperity.
“Nigeria’s message is clear: the region’s security is indivisible, the threats are urgent, and the time for united and well-supported action is now,” he said.
