BUHARI INAUGURATES NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTRE, NEW ONSA BUILDING

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President Muhammadu Buhari (3rd Right) unveiling the New ONSA Building, while the NSA,Retired Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Far Left) and others assist.

President Muhammadu Buhari (3rd Right) unveiling the New ONSA Building, while the NSA,Retired Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Far Left) and others assist.

In furtherance to the resolve of his administration to address evolving security challenges in the country, especially terrorism and violent extremism, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the new Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), on Tuesday 21 March, 2023, in Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari (Middle) and other dignitaries at the unveiling of the NCTC building

President Muhammadu Buhari (Middle) and other dignitaries at the unveiling of the NCTC building.

The construction of the two state-of the art facilities was in addition to the giant stride achieved in strengthening the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 (TPPA 2022), which provided for the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre as the coordinating body for countering terrorism and terrorism financing in Nigeria.

A cross section of Dignitaries at the occasion

A cross section of Dignitaries at the occasion

Speaking at the event, the President said it would serve as a major legacy to provide the incoming administration with infrastructure to effectively coordinate national security and counterterrorism efforts.

The President used the occasion to outline significant milestones achieved by his administration on National Security, including gains in combating terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping, separatist tendencies, crude oil theft, piracy, militancy in parts of the country, as well as cyber-security.

The New State-of-the-Art ONSA building.

The New State-of-the-Art ONSA building.

President Buhari, who congratulated the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retired) and his team for this noble achievement, also lauded key security policy documents which were either produced or revised by this administration and supervised by ONSA including the National Counterterrorism Strategy 2016, National Security Strategy 2019, National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy 2021 and the National Crisis Management Doctrine 2022.

The World-Class NCTC Building

The World-Class NCTC Building

Earlier, The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno noted that the changing nature of the security landscape over the last three decades in the country and across the world has necessitated the broadening of ONSA’s mandate to accommodate the needs of emerging security threats.

The NSA said, while ONSA’s core mandate was to assess the security concerns of the country and advise the President on all matters bordering on national security, the dynamic nature of global and domestic security environments has necessitated the modification and expansion of some of the functions of ONSA.

“The new office for the National Counterterrorism Centre is designed to accommodate the additional workforce and improved technological capabilities of the Centre, particularly the Explosive Devices Analysis Office – EDAO, increasing activities of the Countering Violent Extremism – CVE Department and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Branch,” Monguno said.

President Buhari being conducted round the new ONSA Building by the NSA

President Buhari being conducted round the new ONSA Building by the NSA

Monguno added that the facilities would further enhance Nigeria’s already recognised contribution to global counterterrorism policy and practice efforts and give impetus to Nigeria’s internal, bilateral, and multilateral cooperation and collaboration in tackling the menace of terrorism and violent extremism.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his administration’s investment strategy in legacy infrastructure projects, saying the conceptualisation, design and development of the new ONSA and NCTC buildings were based on Mr. President’s vision of ensuring a robust national security enterprise for the country. The NSA also acknowledged the support of the National Assembly.

President Buhari being conducted round the new ONSA Building by the NSA

President Buhari and other dignitaries at the inauguration

Similarly, in his goodwill message, the UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, commended President Buhari  and his government for championing the  NCTC, saying ”this is no doubt part of your legacy that will enable Nigeria continue to address domestic and regional security challenges.”

Schmale, who was represented by Kimaris Toogood, Peace and Advisor, Office of the Resident Coordinator (UN Nigeria), also commended the progress made by the Nigerian military to degrade the operational capacity of Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram and to improve intelligence gathering on suspected terrorists.

In attendance at the commissioning ceremony were service chiefs, heads of the security and intelligence community, ministers, legislators, and representatives of bilateral and multilateral partners from the UN, AU, ECOWAS and other foreign missions.

 

A 4-DAY NATIONAL TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ON AMNESTY MANAGEMENT, DERADICALISATION AND COMMUNITY-BASED REINTEGRATION

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A 4-DAY NATIONAL TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ON AMNESTY MANAGEMENT, DERADICALISATION AND COMMUNITY-BASED REINTEGRATION ORGANISED BY THE NATIONAL COUNTER TERRORISM CENTRE, OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER IN COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ALERT NIGERIAHELD IN ABUJA FROM 31 JANUARY TO 3 FEBRUARY, 2023.

In realisation that no one size fits all in combatting the security situation of violent extremism and terrorism currently besieging the country and the globe as a whole, the Nigerian government has been making concerted efforts to ensure a peaceful society and strengthen community resilience against this menace. Among such measures being put in place was the convening of a 4-day National Workshop on Amnesty Management, Deradicalisation And Community-Based Reintegration, in collaboration with International Alert (IA) Nigeria from 31 January to 3 February, 2023.

A cross section of some of the participants at the workshop.

A cross section of some of the participants at the workshop.

The aim was to promote collaborative learning and establish a shared purpose for advancing DDR policy and practice in Nigeria, as well as to enable partners, participants and delegates have a thorough strategic and operational level understanding of the concepts, approaches and new practices involved in the effective planning, implementation and coordination of DDR.

Participants were drawn from various stakeholder groups including Federal and States Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Academia, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Tradition and Religious Institutions among others.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, represented by Deputy Comptroller of Corrections, Mr. Sylvester Nwakauche, stated that the workshop was part of government’s commitment to finding sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by conflicts and violent extremism in the country. The Minister stressed that addressing the challenges required a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach, as well as the expertise of government, civil society, academia and the international community. Thereafter, the National Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (rtd), on behalf of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), in his remarks highlighted the opportunities available in the workshop for Participants to gain strategic and operational level understanding of the concepts, approaches and new practices in effective planning, implementation and coordination of DDR.

NC NCTC, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (rtd), saying thank you to the Director of Programme (Int'l) International Alert, Kathryn Tomlinson at the event.

NC NCTC, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (rtd),  {left} saying thank you to the Director of Programme (Int’l) International Alert, Kathryn Tomlinson (Right) at the event.

Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rtd) during his keynote address titled, “Building prospect (s) for stability, Justice and Reconciliation in North-West and North-East, Nigeria,” posited that building confidence in the minds of citizens and the need for dialogue and subsequent disarmament was key to achieving DDR in the country.

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E Catriona Laing also, expressed the commitment of the UK government to supporting initiatives that would address security challenges in Nigeria and noted that while amnesty and voluntary DDR processes were essential components of successful conflict resolution, such measures must not be taken in an ad-hoc, uncoordinated manner as this could undermine the prosecutorial and judicial processes of a country. This was followed by remarks by the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Nicolas Lang, who commended the FGN for adopting kinetic and non- kinetic approaches in dealing with the conflict.

Subsequently, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Samuela Isopi, noted that the European Union (EU) had been a long standing partner of Nigeria on both DDR and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE). Isopi who was represented by EU Nigeria Team Lead, Ruben Alba informed also, that the EU had been supporting a number of activities related to amnesty management, deradicalisation and community-based reintegration in the North East. Lastly, The IA Director of programmes UK, Ms. Kathryn Tomlinson stated that IA programmes in Nigeria would continue to contribute to greater social cohesion and increase the capacity of communities to prevent and manage conflict. Also, while setting the Scene for the workshop, the Country Director, IA Nigeria Mr. Paul Nyulaku noted that the gathering provided an opportunity for stakeholders to come together to review, benefit from peer learning and experience sharing among Federal and State institutions.

Review of act

COUNTER-TERRORISM CENTRE STRATEGIC REPORT 2018

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The Counter Terrorism Centre (CTC) which is headed by a Coordinator, has pioneered key initiatives since 2012. These include, providing leadership, coordination and strategic guidance to security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The Centre’s relationships with relevant partners transcend State Actors, to include donor agencies, Counter Terrorism platforms like the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, Hedayah ( based in Abu Dhabi) and the United Nations.

Following the unveiling of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy Document (NACTEST) and the ongoing National PCVE Program in the country, the role of the Centre has been tremendously appreciated as a value-adding entity among its strategic partners. This growing profile has meant increased interest in the activities of the Centre, both home and abroad.

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NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY 2019

NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY 2019

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The National Security Strategy of Nigeria outlines the major security concerns of the nation for which policies and strategies have been articulated and how the government plans to deal with them. The document is general in content and its implementation depends on other national strategic documents such as the National Counter Terrorism Strategy, Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, the National Defence Policy and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

The National Security Strategy underscores the belief and generally acknowledged view that security is the cornerstone of development and progress in a free society, and that security is a guarantee of the well-being of citizens and stability of the state. The notion of security adopted here however reflects the contemporary paradigm shift away from the state centric focus of security to one which is comprehensive and emphasizes human security.

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PCVE

PCVE National Framework and Action Plan

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Nigeria is currently facing serious threats from violent extremism (VE) targeted against individuals, groups and the state. These threats have gravely undermined economic development, social progress, political stability, national and human security, and peaceful coexistence in the country.

The activities of violent extremist individuals and groups have claimed thousands of innocent lives, destroyed private properties and public facilities worth billions of Naira, and forced millions of citizens to flee their homes and communities, thereby created a huge population of internally displaced persons and refugees.

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NNSS 2014

NIGERIAN NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY 2014

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In the past few years, Nigeria has been confronted with security challenges ranging from insurgency in the North East, militancy in the Niger-Delta, kidnapping, armed robbery sectarian conflicts, to piracy in the maritime domain and serial violence between pastoralists and crop farmers. These have had far-reaching consequences for the nation, as in some instances lives of citizens were irrevocably altered. Every security challenge, irrespective of where it occurs, potentially puts at risk the livelihood and well-being of every citizen. Security challenges could be man-made, nature made or a combination of both. The lives and livelihoods of the Nigerian people are continually at risk from one form of security challenge or another.

This is the reality of the world in which we live today. This reality is global and not peculiar to Nigeria alone. This, however, is not to say Nigeria is not more vulnerable in certain aspects than some other nations and vice versa. Nigeria’s National Security Strategy recognizes that while the country must continue to focus on the persistent and evolving terrorist threats, it must at the same time address the full range of potential catastrophic events, including man-made and natural disasters, due to their implications for national security. The purpose of Nigeria’s National Security Strategy is to guide, organize and harmonise the nation’s security policies and efforts.

The strategy provides a common framework on which the entire nation should focus its efforts. In order to properly articulate government’s strategy for combating these security challenges, there is need for a strategic plan in form of a document to guide security agencies in conception of ideas, formulation of policies and conduct of operations so that every single agency will be properly guided and seen to be working towards the same goal, aware that individual agencies are part of a larger whole, which when properly coordinated would present a neat, coherent, orderly and complete system.