President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-Level Meeting, which will focus on addressing the worsening security crisis in West Africa.

The high-level meeting, scheduled to begin on October 14, will convene Heads of State and Government, senior intelligence and military officials from across Africa, and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.

According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, discussions will centre on the evolving security landscape in the region and strategies to counter terrorism and organised crime.

Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process is a counter-terrorism initiative jointly co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government.

It provides a platform for global leaders to exchange intelligence insights and coordinate regional responses to emerging security threats.

The statement said that the 2025 edition will “recognise the complex security challenges confronting West Africa, including the expansion of terrorist networks, the growing crime-terror nexus, and the overlap between land-based terrorism in the Sahel and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.”

The meeting will also explore strategies to combat online radicalisation, disrupt digital propaganda networks, and strengthen intelligence-sharing among member nations.

Discussions will emphasise coordinated action to counter threats on both land and sea.

President Tinubu, who is expected to address the plenary sessions, will also hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders to discuss collective approaches to strengthening subregional security and stability.

The President will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, among other senior officials. (The Nation, but headline rejigged)