By Abuja, Nigeria
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged West African leaders to reactivate the regional standby force and strengthen collaboration between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to counter growing security threats in the subregion.
The call anchored on intelligence, cooperation and shared responsibility is to subvert the spill of terrorism from the Sahel into coastal West Africa.
Tinubu represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu conveyed Nigeria’s position in an official statement delivered at a high-level security conference in Accra, Ghana.
Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria remains firmly committed to peace and stability in West Africa and the Sahel, advocating a more coordinated, multilateral approach to tackling terrorism.
He proposed leveraging the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja as a regional intelligence and operations hub, noting its existing partnerships with African and regional security bodies.
However, Tinubu cautioned against overreliance on foreign support and excessive militarisation, urging regional governments to confront root causes of instability such as poverty, marginalisation and governance deficits.
He called on (ECOWAS) and (AES) states to de-escalate political tensions and rebuild an inclusive security framework that prioritises shared interests over divisions, expressing optimism that ongoing regional intelligence discussions would yield a sustainable counter-terrorism strategy.
