FG Partners UN, EU, INTERPOL to Combat Malicious Use of Technology by Terrorists

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The federal government, through the National Counter Terrorism Centre Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), is collaborating with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the European Union (EU), and other critical stakeholders to build the capacity of state forces and law enforcement officers to combat the malicious use of technology by terrorists and other criminal elements in Nigeria.

The government stated that strengthening law enforcement capabilities to counter the misuse of new and emerging technologies by terrorists is the core focus of the ongoing workshop.

Speaking at the CT TECH Plus First National Workshop on Nigeria’s Law Enforcement Capabilities for New Technologies in Countering Terrorism in Abuja on Thursday, the National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), Major General Adamu Laka, stated the workshop builds upon the momentum generated during the CT TECH Plus kickoff meeting held in April.

Noting that since the milestone event, he has been consistently briefed by focal persons on the detailed planning and strategic engagements that have taken place, General Laka said that yesterday’s session marks the beginning of a deeper national dialogue on law enforcement readiness.

The workshop, he said, aims to enhance national policy, legal frameworks, institutional preparedness, and international cooperation, while fully upholding human rights, the rule of law, and gender responsiveness.

“At the National Counterterrorism Centre, we continue to drive our mandate through two fundamental pillars: the whole-of-government and the whole-of-society approaches.

“These principles are deeply embedded in the design and delivery of this workshop. Today’s gathering exemplifies this model by bringing together key government stakeholders to confront the growing threats posed by the malicious use of technology.

“Participants have been carefully selected based on recommendations by our partners, an approach that aligns with our own strategy to ensure broad representation from policymakers, law enforcement, cybersecurity agencies, criminal justice actors, regulators, and academia,” he said.

This deliberate mix, he said, reflects Nigeria’s enduring commitment to inclusive and multi-sectoral collaboration in strengthening national response capabilities.

He told participants their roles as policy shapers, operational leaders, and subject-matter experts are critical, not just to this workshop, but to the sustained success of the national counter-terrorism strategy.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said the workshop will facilitate a self-assessment, gap analysis, and lead to the development of a roadmap for the implementation and improvement of the application of law enforcement frameworks for new technologies in countering terrorism, developed under the CT Tech Initiative and successfully applied already in five different member states.

Represented by Peace and Development Advisor, UN Nigeria, Kimairis Toogood, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator restated that effective counterterrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals, but are actually complementary and mutually reinforcing.

The Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Gautier Mignot, represented by Political Officer, Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, Ms. Agnieszka de Oliveira, said that stability and prosperity in Nigeria mean stability and prosperity in the region, in Africa, and also in Europe.