President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, Sunday, October 12, for Rome, the capital of Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement, said the meeting, with special focus on the security crisis in West Africa, will begin on October 14.
According to the statement, the meeting will bring together Heads of State and Government, senior intelligence and military officials from African countries and representatives of inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to discuss security challenges in West Africa.
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Launched by King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015 and co–chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government, the Aqaba Process Meeting is a counter-terrorism initiative recognising complex security challenges affecting West Africa.
The statement added, “It 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.
“At the meeting, participants 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.”
The statement further noted that President Tinubu will also hold bilateral discussions with other leaders to explore ways of stemming the tide of insecurity ravaging the subregion.
“In addition to attending the plenary sessions of the Aqaba meeting, President Tinubu will hold bilateral talks with other leaders to explore ways of addressing the rising security challenges across the subregion.
“The President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu–Ojukwu, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, and other senior government officials.”
