The Economic Community Organisation of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have pushed for a revamp of Quranic education in the sub-region to curb terrorism and violent extremism on the African continent.
ECOWAS President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, while speaking yesterday in Abuja at the closing of the West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance, lamented that the 2025 Global Terrorism Index report revealed a significant shift in global terrorism patterns, with Africa emerging as the new hub of terrorist activities, especially the Sahel region.
He said: “We need to improve and modernise the Qur’anic school system and convert it into conducive and formalised centres of learning and economic empowerment. These schools accommodate millions of young people in the region, but they are not given the attention they require.”
Touray stressed the need to come up with ways to prevent extremism and tackle terrorism, saying that with a humongous youthful population in the region, there was a need to focus more on the youths and channel their energies to positive activities.
EQUALLY, Directors of the Department of State Services (DSS) from the North-West States have converged on Kaduna to review security threats and map out fresh strategies to strengthen collaboration against banditry, terrorism, and other emerging challenges in the region.
The conference, which also drew representatives from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, and Plateau states, served as a platform to harmonise intelligence operations and reinforce joint response mechanisms across state boundaries.
Speaking at the occasion, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, who was represented by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shuaibu (SAN), stated that intelligence-led collaboration remains the most effective tool for neutralising security threats in the North-West and beyond.
He described the DSS as “the invisible backbone of Nigeria’s internal stability,” adding that the agency has played a vital role in safeguarding democracy and pre-empting threats across the federation.
Additionally, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, who also attended the event, commended the DSS for maintaining close cooperation with traditional institutions in addressing community-level disputes and security threats.
Also, the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Mohammed Wase, who was represented by the 1 Division Garrison Commander, Brigadier General Mohammed Kana, said the Army had substantially defeated the bandits and terrorists in the region due to consistent actionable intelligence from the DSS.
Earlier in his welcome address, Kaduna State Director of the DSS, Hakeem Abiola, stated that the zonal meeting was convened to review operational challenges and enhance synergy among security formations across the North-West zone.
