Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has called on African countries, particularly those in the Sahel, to strengthen regional cooperation and intelligence sharing to combat terrorism. 

Ribadu warned that terrorist groups are increasingly collaborating across borders while African countries remained divided in their response to the security threat. He spoke in Abuja while declaring open a high-level African Lessons Learned Forum on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, Intelligence Sharing and Emerging Technologies, organised by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser. 

The National Security Adviser described the Sahel as a major epicentre of terrorism, stressing that no country could defeat the threat in isolation. 

RIBADU He added that African nations must take the lead in developing solutions to the continent’s security challenges, noting that closer regional cooperation and timely intelligence sharing are essential to dismantling terrorist networks. 

In her remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, said terrorism continued to claim lives, displace communities and disrupt education, healthcare and economic activities across the North-East, the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel and parts of East and Southern Africa.

Amina emphasised that effective intelligence sharing depends on trust among security agencies, neighbouring countries and the public, adding that respect for human rights, accountability and the rule of law is essential to building that trust.