NIGERIA’S PRESIDENT TINUBU ENGAGES GLOBAL LEADERS IN ROME TO COMBAT WEST AFRICA’S SECURITY CHALLENGES – (VIDEO)

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, Sunday evening, landing at Rome Fiumicino International Airport around 7:20 p.m. local time, ahead of the pivotal Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting focusing on West Africa’s escalating security crisis.

The Aqaba Process summit, co-chaired by Jordan and Italy, brings together African leaders, senior intelligence and defense officials, and international organization representatives starting Tuesday, October 14, to tackle pressing threats including terrorism expansion, crime-terror nexus, land-based Sahel insurgencies and Gulf of Guinea maritime piracy.

President Tinubu’s participation underscores Nigeria’s commitment addressing regional instability. “In addition to attending plenary sessions, President Tinubu will hold bilateral talks exploring ways addressing rising subregional security challenges,” Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga stated.

Key agenda items include countering online radicalization disrupting digital extremist networks, intelligence sharing joint operations regional defense architecture. Delegation comprises Minister State Foreign Affairs Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, National Intelligence Agency Director-General Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.

West Africa faces complex threats groups linked ISIS al-Qaeda amid economic struggles inflation currency pressures. Tinubu’s engagement projects Nigeria victim solution-provider war terror signaling intent global security diplomacy multilateral engagement.

Aqaba Process launched 2015 King Abdullah II Jordan bridges African European Middle Eastern counterterrorism cooperation. Outcomes anticipated shape future security policies collaborations mitigating regional threats.