President Bola Tinubu will depart Nigeria on Sunday, October 12, for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting, aimed at tackling the escalating security crisis across West Africa.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.
According to the statement, the meeting — scheduled to commence on October 14 — will bring together African Heads of State, senior intelligence and defence officials, and representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to deliberate on the region’s evolving security landscape.
The Aqaba Process, co-chaired by Jordan and Italy, was launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan as a global counter-terrorism initiative. The 2025 session will focus on the growing terrorist threats in West Africa, the crime–terror nexus, and the intersection of Sahel insurgencies and Gulf of Guinea piracy.
“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,”
the statement read.
Discussions will also explore strategies to: Counter terrorism on land and sea, Combat online radicalisation, and Disrupt digital networks used for terrorist propaganda and recruitment.
In addition to attending plenary sessions, President Tinubu will also hold bilateral talks with other world leaders to explore practical solutions to the rising insecurity in the subregion.
The President will be accompanied by:
Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu–Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Minister of Defence, Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, alongside other senior government officials.
The summit underscores Nigeria’s ongoing diplomatic engagement in multilateral security cooperation, particularly amid rising concerns about terrorism, organised crime, and maritime insecurity in the West African region.
