National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has called on international partners and African nations to forge deeper intelligence-sharing networks, implement strict guardrails on emerging technologies, and take unified ownership of counter-terrorism operations across the continent.
​Speaking on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the opening of a high-level African security forum held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja, Ribadu warned that non-state armed groups are rapidly altering their tactics.
He emphasized that violent extremist networks increasingly leverage porous borders, illicit financial streams, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency to recruit members and execute attacks across Africa.
​Addressing state delegates, security chiefs, and global diplomatic partners, the NSA stressed that traditional military responses alone can no longer contain modern security threats.
To combat these evolving tactics, he urged African governments to integrate robust non-kinetic measures, including criminal justice reform, counter-radicalization frameworks, and financial tracking, while establishing seamless cross-border intelligence networks.
​Key stakeholders who echoed the call for coordinated action included Major-General Adamu Laka, National Coordinator of the NCTC, and Dr. Lakhdar Idriss, Director of the African Union Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (AUCTC).
Reporting from the venue, defense correspondents Molly Kilete and Sodiq Omolaoye noted strong representations from the African Union, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the European Union.
​Over the course of the assembly, delegates focused on closing operational gaps through real-time data exchange to intercept illegal arms flows and trace hidden financial assets.
Deliberations also centered on establishing regional digital governance to prevent the misuse of generative artificial intelligence and deepfakes by extremist groups, alongside initiatives to strengthen community resilience against radicalisation.
​The forum concluded with a commitment among participating nations to establish unified protocols for digital forensics, share real-time threat intelligence, and build localized security frameworks tailored to Africa’s unique challenges.
