Reflecting on a decade of partnership in support of Nigeria’s struggle against terrorism
Oru Leonard
As National Security Advisors, Ministers of Defense and other senior government officials engaged in the global fight against terrorism gather in Abuja on the invitation of the Government of President Bola A. Tinubu, UNODC reflects on its own decade-long partnership with the Government of Nigeria in the struggle against terrorism. The “Supporting Nigeria in Its Struggle Against Terrorism” brochure provides a comprehensive overview of the key results achieved by the Nigerian Government and in particular, its security and criminal justice institutions in the context of this cooperation.
For more than a decade, Boko Haram has subjected civilians in northeast Nigeria to a wide range of indiscriminate terrorist tactics and posed a serious threat to regional stability – with many lives lost, families devastated, and livelihoods destroyed. This has posed unique challenges to Nigeria’s law enforcement and security agencies, requiring the adoption of new strategies and tactics to protect the population from terrorist violence and bring the perpetrators of terrorist crimes to justice.
Against this backdrop, UNODC has been providing tailored technical assistance to Nigeria since 2012 to prevent and counter the threats of terrorism and violent extremism.
UNODC’s new brochure showcases the breadth of its counter-terrorism work in Nigeria – from training criminal justice and security agencies to undertake rule-of-law based and human-rights-compliant investigations and prosecutions; and providing technical assistance to policymakers on counter-terrorism legislation and national strategies; to working with local civil society partners to prevent and counter violent extremism.
In his foreword, the National Security Adviser, His Excellency Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, emphasizes the importance of adopting a united front in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism:
“Our trusted partnership with UNODC, which has matured and deepened for more than a decade, is a testament to the importance of collaboration. Together, we are ensuring the long-term resilience and effectiveness of our criminal justice and security agencies.”
Through the efforts of the Nigerian government, Nigeria has made significant progress in tackling the scourge of terrorism over the past eight years, having gone from being ranked 2nd in the Global Terrorism Index in 2016, as one of the countries most affected by terrorism, to 8th in 2024.
During this period UNODC has delivered 321 capacity-building activities training more than 6000 officials. It has supported the Federal Ministry of Justice in the review of close to 3000 terrorism-related case files, resulting in the referral of 230 new cases for trial as well as the release of 2,100 adults and 580 minors from custody.
However, there always remains more to be done to hold those responsible for committing acts of terrorism accountable and to support access to justice for victims.
(UNODC Media)
