The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, has said that preventing violent extremism must be local and multi-dimensional.
By Sumaila Ogbaje
The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, has said that preventing violent extremism must be local and multi-dimensional.
Laka made this known at the opening of the maiden National Summit on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), organised by the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub, in partnership with the PAVE, on Thursday in Abuja.
This approach, he said, moves beyond purely security-based measures to address the root causes of radicalization within communities.
Laka said the development of solutions, economic inclusion, social services and good governance were critical to addressing terrorism, banditry and violent extremism.
Represented by the Director of Policy and Strategy, Commodore Ahmad Madawaki, Laka said security responses must be rights-respecting and well-coordinated.
“Violent extremism cannot be solved by one institution acting alone.
“It is a collective effort that requires clear policies, strong evidence, and humility to learn from communities who are the first line of defence,” he said.
Laka noted that fragmentation among institutions and limited budgets at state levels often slowed down implementation, while the digital space continued to expand threats in new ways.
According to him, reintegration and rehabilitation of victims and ex-combatants remain sensitive and complex, requiring careful community-led design.
Laka identified unemployment, climate stress and exclusion as major drivers of vulnerability.
He said porous borders in the Sahel and transnational militant networks created spillover effects, while online radicalisation meant “geography no longer constrains influence.”
He urged government, security agencies, civil society, media, development partners and the private sector to make long-term investments in communities.
“Participants must be bold in recommendations, practical in commitments and accountable in follow-through,” he added.
Also speaking, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu said that inclusiveness and climate adaptation remain central to defeating violent extremism in Nigeria and the Sahel.
Bagudu said shrinking resources and exclusion had combined with extremist ideologies to fuel insecurity across the region.
He warned that violent extremism could not be tackled by security action alone, stressing the need to address root causes such as unemployment, farmer-herder clashes, climate stress, and lack of inclusion.
“The present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda was designed to expand inclusion by channeling more resources to states, local governments and communities.
“The Federal Government has launched a ward-based development programme to map the 8,809 wards nationwide, identify economic potentials, human capital needs, and support hardworking Nigerians at the grassroots.
“We must reward hard work, support farmers, pastoralists, traders, women and youths in every community. Community resilience, historically and today, remains the biggest defence against violent extremism.
“The urgency of inclusion is real. Extremism feeds on exclusion, and only by working together can we build peace, growth and sustainability,” he said.
The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, said violent extremism was mutating, exploiting vulnerabilities and undermining peace and human dignity.
“In Nigeria and across the Sahel, we are seeing new patterns of radicalisation, the rise of hybrid threats and the deepening of socio-economic and political grievances,” he said.
He called for vigilance, innovation, collaboration and a whole-of-government, whole-of-society response.
The Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the PAVE Network–PCVE-KIRH, Mr Jaye Gaskia, said structural triggers of violent extremism and terrorism recruitment remained strong across West Africa and the Sahel.
Gaskiya said the summit would take them through rich array of sessions designed to deepen reflection, spark dialogue, and inspire action.
“We begin with a keynote on the evolving landscape of violent extremism, followed by a lead paper highlighting violent extremism as a pan-Nigeria threat and the urgency of a collective, nationwide approach.
“We will then engage in a high-level plenary examining the state of PCVE in Nigeria and the Sahel, and witness the launch of the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub and its digital platform.
“Alongside these, a resilience ceremony will showcase community-driven strength and stories of transformation,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)