President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is preparing to unveil Nigeria’s newly revised National Counter-Terrorism Strategy in October 2025, a move officials say is pivotal to strengthening the country’s fight against violent extremism.
The National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka, revealed this during the third quarter stakeholders’ forum on the National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) in Abuja. He confirmed that the updated framework has been finalized and transmitted to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for presidential approval.
“I am pleased to report that the review process has now reached a decisive milestone. The revised draft National Counter Terrorism Strategy, which incorporates all feedback received during the validation exercise, has been finalised and forwarded to the National Security Adviser for approval.
“The final step will be to secure a suitable date for His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, to officially launch the revised National Counter Terrorism Strategy. This launch will mark the culmination of our collective efforts and the beginning of a new phase in our national counterterrorism expedition,” Laka stated.
The review, initiated in February 2025, became necessary due to the shifting dynamics of terrorism globally and regionally. According to the NCTC, the revised document addresses emerging challenges such as advanced technology usage by terror groups, economic vulnerabilities, and new radicalisation methods.
okaynews.com reports that consultations spanned across government agencies, civil society, the private sector, academia, and international partners, ensuring inclusivity and broad ownership of the strategy.
Major General Laka further highlighted that the success of the strategy lies in effective implementation. “The Strategy can only succeed if we collectively own it and translate its provisions into practical, coordinated actions across the five work streams: Prevent, Protect, Identify, Prepare, and Implement,” he emphasized.
Nigeria’s role as a counter-terrorism leader in West Africa and the Sahel region underscores the significance of this revised strategy. The NCTC Director of Policy and Strategy, Commodore Ahmad Madawaki, added that both the “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approaches guided the drafting process, in line with global best practices.
He said, “Hopefully, the next invite you will get from us is the formal launch of the revised strategy sometime in October by Mr President. After that, we can sit again as stakeholders to work on the implementation plan.”
