AU accredits Nigeria’s counter-terrorism centre for West Africa

By Kingsley Omonobi The African Union (AU) has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as a Regional Centre of Excellence in Counter Terrorism for West Africa and the Sahel. The accreditation fulfils President Bola Tinubu’s vision, announced at the High-Level African Counter Terrorism Meeting held in Abuja in April 2024, to position the NCTC as a regional hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, specialised training and capacity building against terrorism and violent extremism. A statement issued on Thursday by Abu Michael, Head of Strategic Communication at the NCTC, said the designation marked a significant milestone in Nigeria’s contribution to collective African security.

It said the recognition formally positioned the centre to support AU member states, particularly those in West Africa and the Sahel, through enhanced counter-terrorism cooperation and institutional capacity development. According to the statement, the accreditation gives the NCTC an expanded regional mandate to provide specialised training, joint threat analysis, research, technical assistance, exchanges of lessons learned and other forms of counter-terrorism support. The accreditation was announced on October 27, 2026, by the Acting Director of the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre (AUCTC), Dr Idriss Mounir Lallali, on behalf of the AU Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, at the conclusion of the African Lessons Learned Forum in Abuja. Lallali said the recognition followed a rigorous assessment of the NCTC’s institutional capacity, governance, training programmes, analytical capabilities, coordination mechanisms and adherence to human rights and the rule of law. He…