President Tinubu Lands in Rome for High-Level ‘Aqaba Process’ Security Summit on West Africa Crisis

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Sunday evening, October 12, 2025, to participate in a crucial international summit focused on addressing the intensifying security crisis across the West African subregion.

The presidential aircraft touched down at the Fiumicino International Airport in Rome at approximately 7:20 p.m. local time, ahead of the high-level Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting scheduled to commence on Tuesday, October 14.

According to a statement from the presidency, the Aqaba Process—a global counter-terrorism initiative co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government—will convene African Heads of State, senior intelligence, and military officials, as well as representatives from intergovernmental organizations.

The central focus of this year’s session is the complex web of security challenges confronting West Africa. The agenda is set to include urgent discussions on the expansion of terrorist networks, the growing nexus between organized crime and terrorism, and the increasing overlap between land-based insurgencies in the Sahel region and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

The summit aims to provide a critical platform for participants to share intelligence assessments, strengthen regional and international collaboration to combat cross-border threats, and develop coordinated strategies to counter terrorism on land and at sea. Furthermore, leaders will explore ways to combat online radicalisation and disrupt digital networks used for extremist propaganda and recruitment.

President Tinubu is expected to utilize the opportunity of the international gathering to hold bilateral talks with other world leaders on the sidelines to forge stronger partnerships and explore joint approaches to tackling the widespread insecurity. He is accompanied by a delegation that includes key security and foreign policy officials, such as the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser.