African Union makes Nigerian counter-terrorism centre a regional hub
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch and Vanguard
The African Union has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for West Africa and the Sahel, an announcement made in Abuja on 27 October 2026 by Idriss Mounir Lallali, according to Punch and Vanguard. Its mandate includes specialised training, joint threat assessments and technical assistance. Vanguard says the accreditation is for three years, renewable, following a process that began in 2025.
The African Union has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for West Africa and the Sahel. The announcement was made on 27 October 2026 in Abuja by Idriss Mounir Lallali, acting director of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre, according to Punch and Vanguard.
The accreditation allows the centre to support AU member states through specialised training, joint threat assessments, research, technical assistance and exchanges of lessons learned from counter-terrorism operations. It follows an assessment of its institutional capacity, governance, training, analytical tools, coordination mechanisms and respect for human rights and the rule of law, the two outlets report.
Vanguard says the process began with a memorandum of understanding signed by the AU and the centre in September 2025, followed by a technical assessment mission in Abuja in December 2025. Lallali said the accreditation would be valid for three years, renewable, and that its terms would be conveyed to the Nigerian government by a note verbale.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the centre’s national coordinator, Major General Adamu Laka, described the decision as recognition of Nigeria’s progress and an increased responsibility for African collective security, Punch and Vanguard report. According to Vanguard, Ribadu also praised the political support of President Bola Tinubu and said the government would continue to provide the centre with staffing, resources and partnerships suited to its expanded mandate.
