Nigeria is ranked among the countries with the highest level of terrorism and violent extremism as they occur, being rated at number eight with reference to the latest Global Terrorism Index statistics. Continued insecurity caused by organizations such as Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and new separatist groups have ensured that security remains one of the priorities of the state. Coupled with these militant threats, the intercommunal conflicts and armed banditry have added more pressure in division of harmony especially in the Northeast, Northwest and some areas of the Middle Belt.
In 2025, the Nigerian Federal Government is close to a completion of a new National Counter-Terrorism Strategy with focus on both the use of the whole-of-government and the whole-of-society approach. Policymakers have learned that combating terrorism necessitates more than just kinetic activities, but instead, entails profound and protracted contact with the security agencies and the community they protect. The process combines grassroots knowledge, civic resilience and law enforcement capacity so that they could not only deal with imminent threats, but also with the social and economic circumstances that allow extremist recruitment to proceed.
Building trust and social cohesion between security forces and communities
Participation at the grassroots has become a fundamental norm in the counter terrorism system in Nigeria. The potential of the local groups as important participants in early warning systems, conflict mediation and deradicalization programs has now become an indispensable participant, and this has to include the traditional authorities, civil society memberships, religious leadership, as well as the youth associations. Owing to the lack of bias that comes with being omnipresent among the locals, these groups are most likely to notice any change in local feelings or suspicious movements prior to security agencies and hence, it is necessary to incorporate them in the design of strategy.
Even security leaders such as Major General Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) have openly admitted that unless the security enjoys the trust of the people, intelligence flow will be minimal as well as success needed in their operations. The policy blueprint of 2025 suggests the injection of the liaison officers into each of the 774 local government areas with a view to achieving the free two-way communication that allows the adaptation of security operations to the local social norms and sensitivities.
Prioritizing human rights and inclusivity
To continue with the collaboration, the approach employed by Nigeria is to ensure that the requirements of human rights are adhered to and that practices used in combating terrorism are inclusive. The aspect of gender considerations and vulnerable groups protection are incorporated in the guidelines of operations, facilitated through UN Women and the national human rights institutions collaborations. The purpose of this commitment is to decrease cases of grievances which are used by extremists to cause their acts and make security efforts seen as protective as opposed to being punitive.
Open complaint systems and even patterns of community relations strengthen accountability and promote the willingness of more citizens to collaborate with law enforcement as opposed to treating them as suspicious.
Enhancing intelligence sharing and operational cooperation
The architecture of Nigeria on counter-terrorism has several agencies namely the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Police Force, armed forces, and financial intelligence units. In the past, lack of effective coordination could not facilitate effectiveness. This has been changed by the new strategy that sets up joint command structures and intelligence fusion centers at the federal and state governments making it easier and efficient to move the information along with quicker and harmonious responses.
An important part of this intelligence ecosystem is played by communities. The formalized channels of reporting by the community and the assimilation of local policing procedures into other aspects of counter-terrorism intend on enhancing the early warning capability especially in rural and hard to reach localities since militants are found to thrive in these localities.
Leveraging international partnerships for capacity building
International relationships are instrumental as partnerships still exist between Nigeria and her allies. The Joint Counter-Terrorism Training and Advisory Team of the United Kingdom trains technical skills and operations of the Nigerian forces and the United Nations assists in human rights-based policing and strategic communications.
These partnerships also boost the abilities of Nigeria to fight terrorist financing through strengthening regulatory frameworks and collaborations between the agencies. This makes the local perspectives and priorities integrated in the interventions and avenge on the global best practices being used.
Addressing root causes through community-focused prevention
Nigerian counter-terrorism is beginning to operate more on the prevention front owing to selective socio-economic investments. Unemployment, poor access to education, and poverty continue to be effective catalysts of radicalization, especially amongst the young people. The government-led approaches in 2025 focus on training, education access and infrastructure in vulnerable neighborhoods as they are elements of the comprehensive security strategy.
Facilitating programs aimed at providing the alternatives to the extremist recruitments, security agencies could prioritize with the local leaders by jointly identifying at-risk groups to ensure that militancy is not as attractive as it used to be in the long-term prospect.
Mobilizing communication and public awareness
Seniority in communication is also one of the important battle zones in combating extremism. The National Orientation Agency and other community based organisations have now embarked in respective campaigns to ensure that the extremist messages are countered to send out the message of unity, peace and civic responsibility.
Such initiatives to counter and interrupt the flow of terrorist propaganda not only do so but also incite communities to be sensitive and proactive when it comes to security issues. Having reputable members of the society in these campaigns helps build more credibility and reach.
Confronting challenges and sustaining momentum
These are considerable obstacles, even in spite of the achievements that have been made. Ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity of Nigeria is a complex system in the formulation of homogeneous strategies of security. Lack of trust between certain communities and the state forces has remained present because of prior acts of excess force or bias. To solve these concerns, it is de rigueur to show patience, openness, and persistence.
New threats that include cyber-enabled terrorism and the infiltration of criminal networks into extremist funding further complicate the operating environment. The security agencies need to adjust to these emerging threats without compromising on the need to uphold the rights of citizens as the core business of security agencies.
This individual has already commented on this issue and outlined the situation in the following way: Dr. Manzo Anthony has pointed out that the collaboration between the Nigerian security agencies and local populations should be enhanced in order to fulfill effective counter-terrorism that manages to respect the rights of its citizens and guarantees national security.
The road to inclusive security
The 2025 changes of the Nigerian counter-terrorist system shall indicate how Nigeria started to become aware that sustainable security cannot rely only on military force. It involves the faith, involvement and robustness of the communities that suffer the greatest impact of insecurity. Nigeria is taking a step towards a more viable alternative by incorporating liaison infrastructure, well-acceptance, intelligence sharing, and socioeconomic weaknesses alleviation.
The long-run demonstration of the success of this model will depend on whether these actions amount to real benefits at the ground level. Nigerian security agencies can lead the whole country towards the path of stability by coordinating a partnership with communities that may turn out to be a pillar of stability in the nation as long as it is cultivated with transparency, flexibility, and mutual empathy. This mutual desire to ensure safety as well as the dignity of human beings may be the answer to the future of the Nigerian war on terror.
