KEY POINTS
- Tinubu warns against private military use in African conflicts.
- Over 250,000 Boko Haram-affiliated individuals have surrendered.
- Akinyemi urges state of emergency and military tribunals.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday rejected the growing reliance on private military and security contractors in African conflict zones. He warned that their involvement undermines sovereignty and complicates counter-terrorism operations across the continent.
Speaking at the 7th African Union–European Union Summit in Luanda, Angola, Tinubu said peace efforts must be led and owned by African governments. He stressed that outsourcing security to private actors with opaque mandates weakens state control.
Tinubu warns against private military use in African conflicts
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu told EU leaders that private military companies often complicate resolution efforts. He said Africa’s security challenges from terrorism to organized crime require coordinated state-driven responses. Nigeria’s approach aligns with regional peace missions under ECOWAS and the African Union.
Tinubu highlighted that recent insecurity, including Boko Haram, banditry, and irregular migration, demands stronger cooperation. He revealed that over 250,000 Boko Haram-affiliated individuals had surrendered following Nigeria’s combined kinetic and non-kinetic measures. The Nigerian president also said that the Sea-Lift Agreement with the AU Standby Force would help peace operations get started more quickly.
African-led security solutions key to regional stability
The president asked the EU to join with the African Union to build security programs based on African-led frameworks. He stressed that ideas that come from outside the region won’t work until the region takes ownership of them and understands how things work there.
To deal with irregular migration, Tinubu also suggested institutionalized labor channels, such as Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps and commercial outsourcing for qualified young people.
 Tinubu also called for changes to the UN Security Council, saying that Africa should have permanent seats with veto rights. He said that the AU and EU need to work together on preventive diplomacy, governance reforms, and infrastructure investment to deal with political instability, unconstitutional power transfers, and structural crises.
Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, who used to be the Director-General of the NIIA, recommended Tinubu to declare a state of emergency for security across the country. He suggested bringing back retired officers, making it easier to join the military, and temporarily taking away governors’ immunity in areas where terrorism is still a problem. Akinyemi also suggested setting up military courts to try terrorists and others who help them.
