President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to playing a leading role in bringing together countries of the West African sub-region in a collective security arrangement to tackle terrorism in the region. This is just as the President has made a strong call for Leaders in Islamic countries to check religious extremism to curtail the spread of hate messages which he said had aided terror attacks in the troubled regions of the world.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adelina, said President Buhari stated this in Jordan while speaking at a security meeting hosted by King Abdullah II. President Buhari, who is leading Nigeria’s delegation to the summit, harped on Nigeria’s experience in battling terrorism in the region, saying that with what the country had gone through, Nigeria was ready to share the experiences to fashion out comprehensive action plans in tackling the scourge of violent extremism in the region.
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The President, while calling for a stronger and well-coordinated collaboration, stated that the joint regional collaboration under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force, combined with the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces, had gone a long way to decimate the activities of extremists in the West African region. The Nigerian President lamented that insurgents were able to attract members in their fold because of the insidious preaching of extremist clerics and called for an action plan to halt the trend.
President Buhari also urged leaders, especially from the Muslim world to speak up against the hateful violence committed by deranged people in the name of Islam. According to him, “All nations, irrespective of religion should partner effectively in implementing national, regional and global action plans to counter violent extremism.” At the end of the meeting, participants resolved to come up with concrete action plans that would change the narrative of violent extremism in the West African sub-region at a follow-up meeting to be hosted by Nigeria.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
