Worried by the increase in security challenges threatening several countries in the continent particularly terrorism, banditry and illicit financial outflow, Heads of Security and Intelligence Agencies from 52 African Countries have converged in Nigeria to deliberate on strategies to combat the threats.
The conference is holding under the aeges of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Making the disclosure in medua parley on Wednesday, at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Executive Secretary of CISSA, Mr. Shimeles Semayat said.
CISSA has established a database to track all terrorist fighters across the African continent, with a view to monitoring their movements and proactively disrupting their activities.
Disclosing that the 4-day 16th Ordinary CISSA Conference is being hosted by the Director-General of NIA, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Semayat said it is bringing together under one roof, Directors – Generals and Intelligence Chiefs of the continent, with the theme: ‘Illicit Financial Outflows from Africa and Their Impact on National Security and Development’.
His words, “One of the key objectives of CISSA is to provide intelligence support to the African Union leadership in its efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in Africa by means of prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and elimination of all forms of security threats on the continent.
“In this regard, CISSA functions as a ‘Silent Pillar of African Union Peace and Security Architecture’ and provides strategic and predictive intelligence to the African Union Commission, in particular the Peace and Security Council (PSC), for informed policy decision making relating to the maintenance of peace, security and stability on the continent.”
“52 Intelligence and Security Services of the 55 African Union Member States are members of CISSA with the exception of only three namely Morocco, Eritrea and Seychelles”.
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Semayat pointed out that the Conference, to be officially declared opened by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, will also have the African Union Chairperson, the Commissioner of the AU Commission Peace and Security Council (AUC PSC), as well as CISSA Strategic Partners (SP), Regional Mechanisms and other special guests in attendance.
At an interactive session, the executive secretary said there are serious security implications of Financial Outflows from Africa as well as financing of terrorists and extremists activities.
Emphasizing that the transnational nature of the threat makes it imperative on African countries to cooperate, pool resources together, share and coordinate intelligence in order to effectively deal with the evolving security challenges confronting the continent, Semayat said that
African security services are aiming to cut off terrorists financing.
He noted that if it succeeds, it would have dealt with 90 percent of the security problems.
“African security services and institutions need to coordinate so as to effectively tackle the dangers that might come from the terrorists. We are of the view that if we succeed in drying up the sources of funds for terrorists their activities will be drastically reduced by 90 percent. That is why the African countries are cooperating in sharing intelligence.
In this regard, CISSA functions as a ‘Silent Pillar of African Union Peace and Security Architecture’ and provides strategic and predictive intelligence to the African Union Commission, in particular the Peace and Security Council (PSC), for informed policy decision making relating to the maintenance of peace, security and stability on the continent.”
Nigeria’s Foreign Spy-Chief, Rufai Abubakar, will at the opening of the Conference on Thursday be appointed to take over as the Chairperson of CISSA from the incumbent, Amb. B.K. Likando of the Namibian Intelligence Service for a period of one year until the next conference in Cairo, Egypt.
Picture shows the Executive Secretary, Mr. Shimeles Semayat flanked by the Deputy Director General, Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Mr. Kio Amieyeofori and the head of Foreign Liaison at NIA
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