Timothy Obiezu

Security analysts are praising ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, for activating its regional standby force but remain doubtful about its effectiveness following the recent withdrawal of three member states. Nigerian Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar announced the activation of a standby military force Tuesday on the sidelines of the 43rd security meeting of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.

Nigeria and China said this week they will cooperate in efforts to crack down on the increasing number of Chinese nationals taking part in financial crimes in the African country. The joint effort comes after Chinese Ambassador Yu Dunhai visited Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, in Abuja. In a statement posted to the EFCC website Tuesday, Dunhai expressed regret over the rising trend of Chinese nationals engaged in financial crimes in Nigeria.

Nigeria's National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) warns that terrorist groups are getting more sophisticated — using new technologies and exploiting political and economic grievances to expand their operations. In response, authorities have launched a review of the national anti-terrorism strategy to address emerging threats. The official anti-terror strategy document was first developed in 2014 and revised two years later.