NSA Ribadu Reveals Major Cause Of Terrorism In Nigeria

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has disclosed that porous borders are a major factor fueling terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking and irregular migra­tion in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that Ribadu made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the 15th National Security Sem­inar.

The NSA was represented by the Director of Policy and Strategy at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Amb. Yazid Gbemu­du, at the seminar with the theme, ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Bor­der Security Architecture for National Stability’.

He asserted that Nigeria’s ter­ritorial integrity and national stability remained closely linked to the effectiveness of its border security architecture.

According to him, while Nigeria’s extensive land and maritime borders provide op­portunities for trade, regional integration and socio-economic development, they also expose the country to a range of trans­national security threats.

“These borders facilitate trade, regional integration and socio-economic development, but they also expose the coun­try to threats such as terrorism, arms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, irregular migration and other forms of transnational organised crime.

“These challenges under­score the urgent need for a comprehensive and coordinat­ed approach to border manage­ment. Weak border governance creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited by criminal and terrorist networks, thereby un­dermining national security and development efforts,” he said.

Ribadu said the National Border Management Strategy remained a major pillar of Ni­geria’s contemporary border se­curity framework, promoting an integrated approach to border management.

He said the strategy was de­signed to enhance intelligence collaboration, strengthen border infrastructure, improve surveil­lance capabilities and modernise border management processes.

According to him, the deploy­ment of Border Management Information Systems and other technological solutions at key en­try and exit points has improved data collection, traveller screen­ing and migration monitoring.

The NSA called for the full implementation of an integrat­ed border management system to improve coordination among security, intelligence and law en­forcement agencies.

He said that effective intelligence sharing, joint operations, and harmonised border procedures were essential to addressing contemporary security threats.

Ribadu also advocated in­creased investment in tech­nology-driven border security solutions, including biometric identification systems, advanced surveillance technologies and data-driven security frame­works.