The National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has called for stronger global and regional cooperation intelligence sharing and responsible use of emerging technologies to combat terrorism and violent extremism in Africa.
Ribadu made the call on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the High-Level African Lessons Learned Forum on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Intelligence Sharing and Emerging Technologies.
The NSA said terrorist groups were exploiting porous borders local grievances illicit financial networks digital platforms and online radicalisation to expand their operations across the continent.
According to him the evolving threat requires stronger intelligence coordination sustained partnerships and practical cooperation among African countries and their international partners.
‘Terrorist groups are exploiting porous borders local grievances illicit financial networks digital platforms misinformation online radicalisation and emerging technologies’ he said.
Ribadu said Nigeria’s experience over the past 15 years had shown that military operations alone could not provide a sustainable solution to terrorism.
He said Nigeria had continued to pursue a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism.
‘While security operations remain necessary they must be complemented by intelligence coordination law enforcement financial intelligence justice strategic communications prevention rehabilitation reintegration reconciliation community resilience education youth engagement research training and technology-enabled analysis’ he said.
The NSA said the forum followed the Senior Officials Dialogue on Counter-Terrorism in Africa held in Madrid in May 2026 which emphasised real-time intelligence sharing improved coordination and the exchange of practical experiences.
He said African countries must take the lead in developing solutions to the continent’s security challenges while strengthening cooperation with international partners.
‘Our partners remain important and we value their continued support. However sustainable solutions must be rooted in African ownership African priorities African institutions and the lived experiences of our communities’ he said.
Ribadu stressed that no country could effectively tackle transnational terrorist networks in isolation given their ability to operate across borders communicate through digital platforms and finance activities through international channels.
He also highlighted the growing influence of artificial intelligence encrypted platforms drones and synthetic media on the security landscape.
According to him while terrorist groups may exploit such technologies they also offer opportunities for early warning threat analysis digital investigations border security and the protection of vulnerable communities.
‘Our task is to ensure that technology is used responsibly lawfully and effectively in support of peace and security’ he said.
Ribadu described the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser as an important component of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism coordination architecture.
He said the centre had strengthened its capacity in strategic threat assessment intelligence fusion research training policy coordination and technology-enabled analysis.
The NSA said Nigeria would continue to share lessons from initiatives such as Operation Safe Corridor and the European Union-supported disarmament demobilisation rehabilitation and reintegration programme for persons formerly associated with non-state armed groups in the North-East.
He however cautioned against presenting Nigeria’s experience as a perfect model saying countries could learn from one another’s successes and setbacks.
‘These experiences are not presented as perfect models. Rather they are offered as practical lessons from which we can all learn’ he said.
Ribadu urged participants to focus on practical outcomes including stronger institutional cooperation professional networks training opportunities and technical partnerships.
He also called for greater attention to the human dimension of counter-terrorism stressing the need to protect communities uphold human rights support victims and address the conditions that fuel violent extremism.
‘Security is not only the absence of violence; it is also the presence of justice opportunity dignity and trust between citizens and the state’ he said.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with African countries the African Union regional economic communities the United Nations the European Union and other partners to strengthen collective security.
The National Coordinator of NCTC Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka said the forum was designed to help African countries compare experiences identify effective strategies and strengthen cooperation against terrorism.
Laka said terrorist groups were increasingly exploiting technology illicit financial flows corruption and criminal networks to advance their activities.
He stressed that military action must be complemented by prevention rehabilitation reintegration criminal justice and community resilience.
According to him Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts have also emphasised intelligence sharing strategic communication early-warning mechanisms and collaboration with local communities.
Laka said more than 1200 convictions had been secured in terrorism-related cases through improved coordination among relevant agencies.
He acknowledged the support of the African Union the European Union the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and MTN Nigeria in convening the forum.
The two-day forum is expected to examine emerging terrorist threats intelligence sharing counter-terrorism financing online radicalisation technology-enabled prevention and rehabilitation and reintegration approaches.
It Is also expected to strengthen African-led cooperation and develop practical recommendations for addressing terrorism and violent extremism across the continent.
Also Dr Lakhdar Idriss Director of AUCTC called for stronger cooperation among African countries to address the growing threat of terrorism.
Idriss stressed the importance of sharing intelligence exchanging operational experiences and building trust among security professionals to improve collective responses to terrorist threats.
He also emphasised the need to learn from one another’s counter-terrorism experiences and develop practical solutions suited to Africa’s security challenges.
He called for approaches that prioritise justice for victims and ensure that lessons learned from past operations translate into more effective and coordinated action against terrorism.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the forum brought together delegates from AU member countries and partners from other countries.
The United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has called for stronger intelligence sharing public trust and responsible use of emerging technologies to strengthen Africa’s fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Mohammed made the call in virtual remarks at the High-Level African Lessons Learned Forum on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Intelligence Sharing and Emerging Technologies in Abuja on Monday.
She said terrorism continued to devastate families and communities across Nigeria’s North-East the Lake Chad Basin the Sahel and parts of East and Southern Africa.
‘In Nigeria we know the cost of this scourge the toll it is taking on families and communities across the North-East and the Lake Chad Basin’ she said.
Mohammed said the violence was claiming lives displacing communities disrupting economic activities and undermining development in vulnerable areas.
‘Behind each of these numbers are people whose hopes for their children are no different from our own’ she said.
She welcomed the forum’s practical approach to examining successful counter-terrorism strategies identifying failures and sharing lessons across countries.
The UN deputy secretary-general identified trust emerging technology and community-centred interventions as critical priorities for strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation.
‘Intelligence sharing begins with trust. That means trust between agencies between nations and countries and between the state and its people’ she said.
Mohammed said communities were more likely to share information when security institutions were accountable justice was accessible and human rights were respected.
She stressed that trust was essential to building effective partnerships between citizens and security agencies in preventing terrorist attacks.
On emerging technologies Mohammed warned that terrorist groups were adapting rapidly and exploiting artificial intelligence and synthetic media for recruitment and propaganda.
She noted that the same technologies could support early warning and prevention if deployed with appropriate safeguards and effective oversight.
‘The threat is moving faster than our institutions. Getting this right will take governments technology companies and civil society’ she said.
Mohammed also cautioned that military operations alone would not bring an end to terrorism urging governments to complement security measures with rehabilitation reintegration justice and community support.
She cited Nigeria’s Operation Safe Corridor and similar programmes as examples of efforts to help individuals leave armed groups and rebuild their lives.
According to her sustainable reintegration requires justice for victims and adequate support for communities receiving former associates of armed groups.
The Country Representative Cheikh Touré United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) called for African-led counter-terrorism strategies warning that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting cross-border networks organised crime and emerging technologies.
Touré said Africa had become a major centre of global terrorism with the Sahel accounting for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide.
He said four of the five countries responsible for nearly 70 per cent of global terrorism deaths in the previous year were African: Burkina Faso Nigeria Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
‘In the past decade terrorism has gained a foothold in Africa that few of us would have predicted’ he said.
Touré said terrorist groups were strengthening cross-border operations collaborating with organised criminal networks and exploiting improvised explosive devices drones digital platforms and artificial intelligence.
He cautioned against adopting international counter-terrorism practices without considering the specific needs and institutional capacities of African countries.
‘The groups we confront cross borders with a fluency that too often exceeds our own. Our response must be equally fluent and it must be African-led’ he said.
He reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to working through African institutions and regional frameworks including the African Union ECOWAS and the Abuja Process.
The forum brings together African and international stakeholders to discuss intelligence sharing emerging technologies counter-terrorism financing and strategies for preventing and countering violent extremism.