Large UN delegation visits Nigeria to assess its counter-terrorism progress and capacity needs

 

Briefing by the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the visiting delegation.

On 13-16 October 2015, a delegation consisting of 11 UN agencies and international and regional organizations – led by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) – made a follow-up visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to assess the country’s latest counter-terrorism efforts and capacity needs.

Through local dialogue and engagement with Government representatives and civil society groups, the delegation learned about the current security situation, including the terrorism threat posed by Boko Haram to Nigeria and the region, despite recent military and law enforcement operations having degraded the terrorist organization’s capability. The delegation was also briefed about Boko Haram’s focus on soft targets, using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Government informed the delegation of its focus on dismantling the terrorist group by the end of 2015 through continuous operations, including under the Multinational Joint Task Force.

 

At the end of its visit, the delegation welcomed important progress made by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in recent years, and identified areas in which the country could benefit from technical assistance provided by international partners.

Delegation members included representatives of CTED, the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), the 1267/1989 Security Council Committee Monitoring Team, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime’s Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB), the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), the World Bank, and the World Customs Organizations (WCO).

Nigeria is member of the Security Council and by extension also member of the Counter-Terrorism Committee until the end of 2015. To date, the Committee has made assessment visits to over 100 countries to monitor, promote, and facilitate States’ implementation of Security Council resolutions 1373, 1624 and, more recently, 2178.