Tinubu Heads to Rome for Aqaba Process Summit on West Africa Security

ByNewsmakers

Oct 12, 2025 #Aqaba Process, #Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, #Boko Haram, #Counter-Terrorism, #Gulf of Guinea Piracy, #Italy, #Jordan, #King Abdullah II, #Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, #Nigeria Foreign Policy, #Nuhu Ribadu, #Online Radicalisation, #Regional Security Summit, #Sahel Conflict, #Tinubu in Rome, #West Africa Security

…to hold bilateral talks with leaders on counter-terrorism, maritime safety, digital radicalisation

Malik Yahya/

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Sunday, October 12, depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting, which focuses on the escalating security crisis in West Africa.

The meeting, slated to begin on October 14, will bring together African leaders, senior intelligence and military officials, and representatives of international organisations to deliberate on the region’s complex security landscape, including the expansion of terrorist networks, the crime-terror nexus, and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process—co-chaired by Jordan and the Italian Government—serves as a counter-terrorism platform promoting collaboration between regional and international partners to address cross-border threats.

This year’s sessions will tackle online radicalisation, terrorist propaganda, and digital recruitment networks, while also developing strategies to strengthen security cooperation on land and at sea.

President Tinubu is expected to make key interventions on security cooperation in West Africa and hold bilateral talks with other leaders on strategies to counter emerging threats.

He will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu–Ojukwu; the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, among other senior government officials.

The Aqaba Process has over the years served as a key multilateral dialogue platform, linking African, European, and Middle Eastern nations in the shared fight against violent extremism and transnational organised crime.
President Tinubu’s participation underscores Nigeria’s commitment to global cooperation on regional peace, counter-terrorism, and maritime security.