A renewed call for a proactive, prevention-driven approach to tackling violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin took centre stage on Monday as Nigeria and the African Union stressed the need for a strategic shift.
Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), and Dr. Usman Hussain, Head of Administration at the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre (AUCTC), delivered the message during the opening of the Senior-Level Workshop on the Prevention of Violent Extremism for the Lake Chad Basin States in Abuja.
They noted that despite years of military pressure, terrorist organisations continued to expand their activities across Africa.
Maj.-Gen. Laka explained that although regional governments had invested heavily in military, intelligence and law-enforcement efforts, long-term peace depended on addressing the underlying drivers of extremism.
He emphasised that security operations alone were insufficient for sustainable peace.
“The factors fuelling violent extremism—economic, political, social, cultural and ideological—must be addressed through informed and people-centred preventive measures,” he said.
Laka described the workshop as a vital step toward a prevention-oriented approach founded on human security, dialogue, community resilience, gender inclusion, education and broad-based collaboration.
He recalled that the Lake Chad Basin had faced years of conflict, displacement, organised crime and social disruption, adding that reversing these conditions required the preventive framework promoted by the AU, ECOWAS, ECCAS and the United Nations.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s progress through the NCTC, including the National Action Plan on PCVE, stronger interagency coordination, improved data systems, strategic communications and reintegration programmes for former extremists.
Laka further noted that following the 2024 Africa Counter-Terrorism Summit, the NCTC was recognised as a Regional Centre of Excellence for Counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel—an acknowledgement that places greater responsibility on Nigeria to support neighbouring states through capacity building, policy alignment and research-based initiatives.
Dr. Hussain, representing the AU leadership, observed that terrorism and violent extremism had become entrenched across the continent, posing Africa’s most serious security challenge.
He said groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP and Al-Shabaab were expanding their operations, carrying out cross-border attacks across West, Central, East and Southern Africa.
“Their activities have deepened existing challenges and further destabilised Africa’s security landscape,” he said.
Hussain commended regional blocs that had developed counter-terrorism strategies, urging others to accelerate their implementation. He cited IGAD’s adoption of Africa’s first regional PCVE strategy as a model worth replicating.
He encouraged stakeholders to embrace innovative thinking and strengthen collaboration among Lake Chad Basin countries, stressing that sustained progress would depend on coordinated regional efforts, resource mobilisation and strong institutional partnerships.
In closing, officials from Nigeria and the AU called on participants to work collectively toward a unified, actionable plan to prevent violent extremism across the region.