The African Union Counter Terrorism Centre (AUCTC) has formally accredited Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), operating under the Office of the National Security Adviser, as a Regional Centre of Excellence for West Africa and the Sahel.

?AUCTC Acting Director Dr. Idriss Mounir Lallali announced the accreditation during the African Lessons Learned Forum at the NCTC headquarters in Abuja.

The formal recognition consolidates the initiative declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting in April 2024.

?Under this official designation, the NCTC serves as a primary regional hub to coordinate counter-terrorism operations, strengthen intelligence sharing, conduct specialized tactical training, and expand security capacity among African Union member states confronting terrorism and violent extremism across the sub-region.