Tinubu heads to Rome for counter-terrorism meeting

President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today for Rome, the capital of Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process heads of state and government level meeting.

The Aqaba Process meeting is a counter-terrorism initiative launched by King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015.

It is co–chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian government.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the meeting focuses on security crisis in West Africa.

The meeting, which will begin on October 14, will bring together heads of state and government, senior intelligence and military officials from African countries, and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to discuss the evolving security challenges in West Africa.

The meeting recognises the complex security challenges confronting West Africa, including the expansion of terrorist networks, the growing crime-terror nexus and the increasing overlap between land-based terrorism in the Sahel and the maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

According to the statement, participants at the meeting will exchange assessments of the current security landscape in West Africa and foster collaboration between regional and international partners to address cross-border security challenges.

Participants will also develop strategies to counter the terror threat on land and the sea.

The meeting will discuss ideas on how to coordinate efforts to combat online radicalisation and disrupt digital networks that facilitate terrorist propaganda and recruitment.

In addition to attending the plenary sessions of the Aqaba meeting, Tinubu will hold bilateral talks with other leaders to explore ways of addressing the rising security challenges across the subregion.

Tinubu will be accompanied by Bianca Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs; Mohammed Badaru, minister of defence; Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA); Mohammed Mohammed, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); and other government officials.