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Former Nigerian Air Force spokesperson, Saheed Shehu, has called on African leaders, particularly in West Africa, the Sahel region, and the Lake Chad Basin, to separate security from politics and collaborate in the fight against terrorism.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS, on the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report, which ranks Nigeria sixth among countries most affected by terrorism, Shehu stressed that no single country can tackle the issue alone.
“The African leaders in West Africa, in the Lake Chad Basin region, in the Sahel region, have to remove security from politics. They may have international disagreements on some realignments in their geopolitics, but certainly, to tackle the issue of terrorism, they have to come together or else everybody will be a loser. There is no country that can do it alone,” Shehu said.
The GTI ranking comes despite intensified counter-insurgency operations and ongoing criticisms of past reports highlighting the rise of insecurity in Nigeria. The former Air Force official warned that regional fragmentation, particularly with the growing divide between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), could further weaken counterterrorism efforts.
“We are really in a very difficult geopolitical area, and the countries have to do more to solve these terrorism issues. Unfortunately, while we’re struggling with this, there’s fragmentation, with ECOWAS breaking up with the AES. Counterterrorism is an international issue; it crosses borders. As long as there is no concerted approach across borders, certainly no one country can do it alone,” he added.
Shehu further noted that if one country fights terrorism independently, insurgents could relocate across borders and use neighboring countries as bases for launching further attacks. He emphasised the need for a unified regional strategy to prevent terrorists from exploiting weak border security and regional disputes.
His comments come at a time when Nigeria continues to grapple with persistent security challenges, including attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups. Security experts and policymakers have echoed similar concerns, urging West African nations to strengthen intelligence-sharing, military cooperation, and diplomatic coordination to effectively combat terrorism in the region.
Melissa Enoch
The post Saheed Shehu: West Africa Must Unite Against Terrorism Or Everyone Loses appeared first on Arise News.
