Nigeria’s counter-terrorism coordinator, Major General Adamu Garuba Laka and his solution-driven team have moved again this year launching more precise and innovative actions to defy merchants of violent terrorism in the country, in line with a declaration of 2025 as the year of the possible.
The national coordinator of the National Center of Counter Terrorism (NCTC) spoke at a two-day strategy workshop which ended yesterday with updated guidelines and a comprehensive blueprint on strategic communication for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) for Federal directors of press/information of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including para-military, intelligence and security agencies.
The event was widely by adjudged participants as a most defining and effective tool to turn the tide against violent extremism in the country.
Major General Adamu Laka while welcoming the participants and resource persons emphasized that though the scourge remained the most complex of security challenges, the NCTC where he leads a crop of focused and patriotic Nigerians under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) would continue to leave no stone unturned until Nigerians live peacefully.
He told the audience that the NCTC assignment would have been less inspiring but for the clear vision, unparalleled passion and rare commitment of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu whose leadership and support he described in superlative terms, saying he is a big asset to the nation.
Daily Spokesman recalls that while briefing newsmen last week on an on NCTC’s innovative Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAAKFC) established in December 2024 to rein in agencies on intelligence sharing to coordinate anti-kidnapping offensive in the country, General Laka said that the NSA Nuhu Ribadu-led leadership recorded 16.3 per cent decline in incidents compared to 2023, even though the number of victims increased slightly by 0.27 per cent.
According to him, government was employing both kinetic and non-kinetic measures to combat the menace and had achieved significant results such as rescuing hostages, neutralizing and arresting kidnap kingpins.
On efforts being made by NCTC in 2025, he said that effective collaborations would be improved with the 36 state governments, reinforce public confidence in government protection to discourage ransom payment and engage state governments to address unemployment and economic vulnerabilities that encourage resort to crime.
Daily Spokesman which covered the event reports that the well-attended two-day validation meeting/workshop on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, PCVE, Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan organised by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), rose with a Steering Committee emplaced to drive the initiative.
Major General Adamu Laka expressed appreciation to the participants for attending the workshop in their large numbers. He particularly praised NSA Mallam Nuhu Ribadu for his continued support for NCTC’s efforts in PCVE in Nigeria, explaining, “Today’s gathering highlights our unified determination to enhance the nation’s capacity to counter violent extremism and to ensure the seamless implementation of PCVE strategies at every level of governance.
“As you are all aware, violent extremism remains one of the most complex security challenges of our time. It threatens our national security and the very fabric of our communities, institutions, and social cohesion.
“In response to this, Federal Government of Nigeria developed the Policy Framework and National Action Plan (PF-NAP) for PCVE to serve as a guiding strategy for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in tackling radicalization and violent extremism in Nigeria.
“However, a policy is only as effective as its implementation, and that is why we are gathered here today, to ensure that we take deliberate and strategic steps toward localizing and operationalising this framework.”
Speaking further, he said, “Over the course of these 2 days, we will focus on two critical components that are central to the success of PCVE efforts in Nigeria.
“First is the domestication and localisation of the PF-NAP for PCVE. This will be done through exploring strategies to integrate PCVE principles into the operational frameworks of ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as at the state and local government levels.
‘’We will also identify existing gaps, challenges, and opportunities for institutionalising PCVE efforts across various sectors.
“Second is the validation of the PCVE Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan. For this, we will conduct a thorough review of the draft PCVE Guidelines to ensure they align with national priorities, security realities, and international best practices.
“Furthermore, we will validate the draft Strategic Communication Plan, taking cognizance, that effective messaging is crucial in countering extremist narratives, fostering positive community engagement, and ensuring that our responses remain proactive, and evidence based.”
Stressing the imperative of all stakeholders joining hands in active participation and critical insights for expert recommendations towards combating violent Extremism effectively, Major General Laka reminded the participants that PCVE is a security issue as well as governance, development, and social cohesion issue.
“Hence, it requires a multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder, and multi-dimensional approach. Our success depends on the coordination of efforts, synergy of policies, and harmonization of strategies at all levels.
“At the end of this workshop, we expect to have a clear roadmap for the localisation of the policy framework, validated PCVE Guidelines, and an endorsed Strategic Communication Plan, all of which will serve as blueprints for future implementation,” he noted.
