Atiku Calls for Overhaul of Nigeria’s Counterterrorism Strategy, Noting Terrorists Adapt to Every Attack

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s counter‑terrorism framework, arguing that the current federal approach is not keeping pace with evolving security threats.

In a statement released by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the spread of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping beyond northern Nigeria demonstrates the urgent need for reforms in the country’s security architecture.

He noted that terrorists continue to adapt their methods while government responses remain largely unchanged.

“The terrorists are learning from every attack. They study their successes and failures. They refine their tactics. They identify vulnerabilities. They adapt and strike again,” the statement reads.

“From Chibok to Oyo, from countless villages in the North‑West to communities across the Middle Belt and beyond, the pattern has become tragically familiar. An attack occurs. The nation mourns. Promises are made. Committees are announced.”

According to Atiku, the disturbing expansion of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping across different parts of the country clearly shows that the current counter‑terrorism framework is no longer adequate for the scale and complexity of the challenge before Nigeria.

He lamented that one of the major weaknesses of the federal government’s approach is the failure to systematically extract lessons from previous attacks and use them to prevent future incidents.

“It is now imperative that the federal government immediately initiates a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s national counter‑terrorism policy,” he added.

He said such a review must be rooted in the country’s own experiences, drawing lessons from communities that have suffered attacks and developing context‑specific, adaptive, and community‑driven solutions rather than relying largely on foreign templates.

“We ought to have drawn critical lessons and early warning indicators from Chibok and other similar incidents to ensure that what recently happened in Oyo State and elsewhere never happens again,” Atiku said.

The former vice president proposed establishing a terrorism‑violence peer‑review mechanism to enable affected communities, local leaders, security personnel and other stakeholders to share experiences and contribute to security planning.

He said the initiative would strengthen intelligence gathering, improve early warning systems and enhance collaboration between citizens and security agencies.

Atiku also suggested a multi‑layered counter‑terrorism strategy centred on intelligence gathering, technology, community participation and the disruption of terror‑financing networks.

“The battle against terrorism cannot be won solely through military deployments,” he said.

“While kinetic operations remain necessary, the government must aggressively target the financial lifelines of terrorist groups. We must identify and dismantle the networks that fund, equip, transport and shelter these criminal elements.”

“Every successful counter‑terrorism campaign around the world has relied heavily on intelligence superiority. Nigeria must therefore invest massively in intelligence gathering, surveillance technology, aerial monitoring systems, communication interception capabilities and data‑driven threat analysis.”

“Communities must become active partners in national security. Citizens are often the first to notice suspicious movements long before security agencies arrive. We need structured community intelligence programmes backed by trust, incentives and witness protection mechanisms.”

“The federal government should establish specialised counter‑terrorism fusion centres in each geopolitical zone where intelligence from the military, police, DSS, civil defence, immigration, customs, local vigilantes and community leaders can be pooled, analysed and acted upon in real time.”

“Equally important is the need to strengthen border security. Nigeria’s porous borders have become highways for the movement of terrorists, arms traffickers and transnational criminal networks. A nation that cannot effectively monitor who enters and exits its territory will continue to face serious security vulnerabilities,” he noted.