President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly have been urged to approve and adopt the African Union’s Malabo Protocol as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and other cross-border crimes.
The call was made during a security and governance discussion held on Thursday in Abuja, where participants highlighted the need for stronger laws to address growing insecurity in Nigeria and across Africa.
A constitutional lawyer, Abdul Mahmud, speaking at the event, said the ratification of the protocol would help African countries work more closely in tackling security challenges.
He explained that it would also improve intelligence sharing between nations and make it easier to prosecute cases involving terrorism and other serious crimes.
According to him, the Malabo Protocol provides a legal structure that allows African countries to jointly address issues such as terrorism, cybercrime, corruption, and other offences that affect peace and stability on the continent.
He called on President Tinubu and lawmakers in the National Assembly to speed up the approval process and show commitment to its implementation.
The Malabo Protocol was adopted by the African Union in 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. It was designed to expand the powers of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights to handle major crimes, including terrorism and corruption.