• Says ‘alone we fall, together Africa secures its future’
• Proposes forum for coordination
• Over 1,000 terrorist groups operating in Africa, says Gambari
• CTC seeks proactive measures against risks posed by terrorists
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African Defence Chiefs to abandon fragmented security responses and commit to building a common defence architecture capable of confronting the continent’s escalating security crises.
Tinubu, who stated this during the opening of the maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit 2025 in Abuja yesterday, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, warned that the scale and complexity of Africa’s challenges are too vast for one nation to tackle alone.
He, however, proposed the creation of a permanent African Chiefs of Defence Staff Forum, which he said would institutionalise dialogue, foresight, and operational coordination among military leaders across the continent.
Such a forum, he said, would ensure African defence institutions “speak with one voice and act with one purpose,” transforming cooperation into a lasting commitment rather than a one-off event.
He described the summit as a “village square of ideas” where Africa’s guardians must meet at a time of unprecedented challenges, insisting that collective defence has become an urgent necessity.
Deputy United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, described the gathering as “the birth of a new era in African security cooperation,” urging proactive steps to counter terrorists’ exploitation of emerging technologies.
ECOWAS Commission President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, represented by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the initiative aligns with Tinubu’s continental security vision, saying: “No region in Africa is spared from the scourge of insecurity. Cooperation is not just desirable; it is existential.”
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, urged counterparts to prioritise cyber defence, AI, and homegrown military technology, warning that without these, lasting security would remain elusive.
MEANWHILE, former Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has said that over 1,000 insurgency groups are operating in Africa, and the number is still increasing.
Gambari, who stated this in his goodwill message at the ongoing three-day maiden Africa Defence Chiefs of Staff summit in Abuja, quoted the African Research Network for Regional and Global Governance Innovation.
He, therefore, called for synergy in military cooperation, promotion of common training, promotion of common doctrinal concepts, sharing of intelligence, the interoperability of armaments, as well as capacity building, particularly in air lifting, all of which were essential for operationalisation of the African standby force.
HOWEVER, National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, yesterday, advocated proactive measures against risks posed by terrorists as they increasingly exploit digital platforms, encryption, unmanned systems, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in carrying out their nefarious activities.
Laka spoke during the second workshop under the CT TECH+ Initiative, on “Assessing Threats Stemming from the Use of new technologies for terrorist Purposes and developing national counter-terrorism policies and operational responses to counter the threats.” The first workshop was held in July.
In his remark, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohammed Malick Fall, said the workshop would strengthen Nigeria’s law enforcement capabilities to responsibly and sustainably use new technologies in the fight against terrorism.
