BY GBENGA OKE
A Nigerian Solicitor Advocate of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, Mr Okechukwu Adieze has stated that Nigeria needs an effective counter terrorism strategy to address the insecurity and threat of terrorist attacks in the country.

In an interview with Vanguard, Mr Adieze said strategies for countering terrorism stray beyond conventional police enforcement adding that partnership and collaborative initiative programmes remains a priority that must be skilfully coordinated.

His words: “Threat to national interests and persons in Nigeria appear to have significantly increased. Conventionally in terrorism cases, a group may identify itself and even acknowledge responsibility for terrorist attacks or threats but other groups may be sympathetic to the objectives of the main group and may have the capacity to support them roup or independently carry out attacks or threats”

Stating how Nigeria can counter the present insecurity in the country, he said “The aim of counter terrorism is to reduce the disruptive challenges, crises, risks and the fear of crime to the citizens and national interests from terrorism in order to enable members of the public to go about their lives freely and with confidence”.

He however said, “I am keen to offer my specialist skills to support the dedicated counter terrorist professionals in Nigeria to ensure that police responses are both effective and proportionate in enhancing intelligence, sustaining the capabilities to detect, investigate, disrupt terrorist threats and manage resilience adding that “this commitment will focus on, amongst others the provision of specialist assistance in identifying and reducing national vulnerability to terrorism and to ensure that the prevention and protection strategies are sufficiently robust to counter and combat the challenges”.