President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to jet out of Abuja today for Rome, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-Level Meeting, which will focus on tackling the worsening security crisis in West Africa.
His spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday.
Onanuga said the high-level summit, scheduled to begin on October 14, will convene African leaders, senior military and intelligence officials, as well as representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, to deliberate on emerging threats undermining peace and stability in the sub-region.
Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process serves as a global counter-terrorism platform co-chaired by Jordan and the Italian Government.
It seeks to strengthen international collaboration against terrorism and organised crime networks that have increasingly destabilised parts of Africa.
Onanuga stated that the 2025 edition will address the spread of extremist groups in the Sahel, the growing nexus between terrorism and organised crime, and the rising overlap between land-based insurgencies and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to the Presidency, discussions will centre on practical strategies to counter terror threats both on land and at sea, enhance regional intelligence sharing, and tackle online radicalisation by disrupting digital platforms used for terrorist propaganda and recruitment.
During the visit, President Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral talks with other world leaders aimed at reinforcing security cooperation and developing collective responses to West Africa’s cross-border challenges.
The President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and other senior government officials.
The Aqaba Process remains one of the most influential multilateral efforts promoting global unity in countering violent extremism and ensuring long-term stability in vulnerable regions.