Matawalle Attends African Counter-Terrorism Summit

Matawalle Attends African Counter-Terrorism Summit

The Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle MON, joined His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the opening ceremony of the African Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja.

The summit organized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), brought together high-level stakeholders under the theme, “Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism”.

The primary objective of the summit was to bolster multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, emphasizing African-led and African-owned solutions to combat terrorism on the continent.

Dr. Bello Matawalle highlighted the critical importance of collaborative efforts in reshaping the international community’s response to terrorism, particularly within Africa. The summit provided a pivotal platform for evaluating the nature and severity of the terrorist threat across the continent.

Among the distinguished attendees were Ms. Amina Mohammed, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General; Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser; and Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, UNOCT. Also present were the Chief of Defence Staff, General C.G Musa OFR, high-level government officials, representatives of international organizations, and members of civil society, among others.

Dr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle MON also reaffirmed the Ministry of Defence’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and expressed gratitude to all participants for their invaluable contributions towards advancing regional cooperation in addressing this critical security challenge.