Terrorism: Tinubu calls for regional force to combat weapon smuggling

 

President Bola Tinubu has recited the call for the establishment of a regional standby force that will serve as a rapid deployment tool to combat both existing threats and the ones that could emerge. It will also serve as a strong deterrence to large-scale weapon smuggling.

The President gave the call at the opening ceremony of the African Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja on Monday. According to him, terrorism must be banished, as the menace threatens farmers from their farms, children from their schools, and businesswomen from their sources of livelihood, thereby putting society and government into confusion and disarray. He added that the fight against terrorism required a collective approach and that the root causes must be addressed.

Speaking earlier, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, said Nigeria had resumed the prosecution of all Boko Haram detainees in Kainji. According to him, Nigeria is also gathering intelligence on the activities of Boko Haram and the Islamic State–West Africa Province (ISWAP), to tackle the groups headlong.

Ribadu said the summit highlights the strategic commitment of Nigeria to the UN Counter-terrorism agreement, adding that Africa faces threats from diverse terrorist groups who exploit local vulnerabilities. He said that Nigeria has broadened its approach to counter the evolving security threats posed by activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP including the use of digital assets.