Abuja: Nigeria has inaugurated a national baseline assessment to boost its counter-terrorism efforts against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The initiative, led by the National Counter Terrorism Centre, was unveiled during the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Baseline Self-Assessment Workshop.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Mine Action Service and the British High Commission. Speaking on behalf of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the National Coordinator of the centre, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, stated that the exercise aims to critically examine Nigeria’s existing counter-IED capabilities and identify operational gaps across security institutions. Laka described the initiative as a strategic follow-up to the Counter-IED Symposium held in March 2025 and a key step toward developing a comprehensive National Counter-IED Strategy.
He emphasized that IEDs remain a significant threat, particularly in the North-East, posing dangers to military personnel, civilians, and national infrastructure. Beyond loss of lives and injuries, IED attacks have disrupted farming, economic activities, restricted humanitarian operations, displaced communities, and weakened investor confidence in affected areas. ‘These impacts go far beyond the battlefield and continue to affect the stability and recovery of communities across the country,’ he added.
Laka explained that the assessment would use the Counter-IED Self-Assessment Framework developed by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research to generate empirical data and strengthen coordination among security agencies. First Secretary at the British High Commission, Annup Vyas, noted the UK’s support in confronting the IED threat, emphasizing the importance of the workshop in the UK-Nigeria security and defense partnership.
Vyas remarked that effective responses to the IED threat require resources, commitment, and a clear understanding of strengths and gaps within Nigeria’s counter-IED architecture. According to him, the assessment framework provides a structured methodology to evaluate national capabilities across prevention, detection, mitigation, investigation, and consequence management.
Commander of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, Shamsideen Shafaru, highlighted the adaptive nature of IEDs used by hostile groups across several operational theatres. He stressed the need for a unified, intelligence-driven, and capability-focused approach involving military, security, intelligence, and civilian stakeholders. The workshop aims to examine existing procedures, training frameworks, equipment, and coordination mechanisms to identify capability gaps and strengthen operational synergy.
Edwin Faigmane, UNMAS Country Representative, mentioned that the workshop is part of a broader initiative to strengthen national capabilities in IED threat mitigation. He emphasized the use of a C-IED capability maturity self-assessment tool, allowing security agencies to evaluate and prioritize national C-IED capacities. Participants include representatives from the armed forces, security and intelligence agencies, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as international partners supporting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.