President Tinubu Departs Abuja for Rome to Attend Security Summit

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

President Bola Tinubu will on Sunday, 12 October, depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting, a high-level forum focused on addressing escalating security challenges in West Africa.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the meeting, which begins on 14 October, will bring together African leaders, senior intelligence and defence officials, and representatives from international and non-governmental organisations to deliberate on the region’s worsening security situation.

The Aqaba Process, launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and co-chaired by Jordan and Italy, seeks to promote global collaboration in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

This year’s session will concentrate on the growing threats across West Africa, including the expansion of terrorist networks, the links between organised crime and terrorism, and the increasing connection between Sahel-based insurgencies and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Participants are expected to share intelligence on current security dynamics and strengthen partnerships among regional and international actors. Discussions will also cover strategies to counter terrorism both on land and at sea, combat online radicalisation, and disrupt digital propaganda and recruitment networks.

In addition to the plenary sessions, President Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders to explore joint solutions to the region’s security challenges.

The statement further noted that 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, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and other senior government officials.