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National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka
The Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka has raised concerns over the growing confidence of terrorist groups, stating that their recent successes have emboldened them to expand their operations into coastal West African countries, including the Benin Republic.
Laka made this known in Abuja, on Wednesday, during the Regional Seminar on Support to Strengthen Capacities for Promoting Efficiency in the Implementation of the Accra Initiative.
He stated that countries were challenged by the increasing threats posed by extremist groups across northern borders, calling for an urgently strengthened regional security framework.
“As member countries faced increased threats and attacks from extremists across the northern borders, the need for a stronger security mechanism became even more imperative. The successes recorded by these terrorists have further emboldened their operational capabilities with their attempted expansion towards coastal West African countries such as the Benin Republic.”
Laka noted that terrorism and transnational crimes are worsened by ungoverned spaces and porous borders.
He called for cooperation among concerned nations to prevent the southward expansion of terrorism.
Laka said, “Considering the nature of terrorism and transnational organized crimes, which are exacerbated by ungoverned and porous border areas, promoting synergy among coastal West African countries is crucial to effectively counter the threat. I must therefore emphasize that no nation can solely combat this menace, as it transcends national borders.
“This is witnessed in the tri-border region of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This again stresses the need for synergy among concerned nations in order to prevent the southward expansion of terrorism and ultimately curb the menace in the sub-region.”
The Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Major General Richard Gyane, echoed similar concerns, revealing that terrorist activities in the Sahel have surged dramatically between 2007 and 2023.
According to Gyane, West Africa accounted for just 1% of global terrorism-related deaths in 2007, but by 2023, the figure had skyrocketed to 43%.
He warned that extremist groups had expanded from Mali into Burkina Faso and now account for 58% of all violent extremist attacks in the Sahel.
“Such activities are spreading gradually to littoral countries, such as Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo, with increasing concerns about their potential expansion towards Ghana,” he stated.
Gyane further noted that terrorist expansion is being fueled by organised crime, including arms trafficking, human smuggling, and the illicit trade in natural resources such as oil, precious metals, and timber.
