President Tinubu Returns To Abuja After Counterterrorism Talks In Rome

President Bola Tinubu has arrived back in Abuja after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting in Rome, Italy.

There, world leaders gathered to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.

Tinubu had departed Nigeria on October 12 for the meeting scheduled to start on the 14th.

According to a State House Press Release issued on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President’s trip to Rome reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global security partnerships.

“President Bola Tinubu returns to Abuja today after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting in Rome, Italy,” the statement read.

The Aqaba Process, the release explained, is “a counter-terrorism initiative launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015” and “co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy.”

The Rome edition of the meeting focused on “strengthening regional and international collaboration in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, with particular attention to West Africa.”

The high-level session took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, and drew participation from several global leaders including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Other dignitaries in attendance included Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, as well as delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, alongside special envoys and security experts.

“The meeting was held behind closed doors,” the statement noted, underscoring the sensitivity of the discussions focused on global counterterrorism coordination.