President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after attending the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting in Rome, Italy, where world leaders deliberated on strategies to strengthen regional and international cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism, with a focus on West Africa.

The Aqaba Process, co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of Italy, was launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan to promote coordinated global counterterrorism efforts.

This year’s edition, held on Wednesday, October 15, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, drew participation from several world leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Also in attendance were Azouz Nasri, President of Algeria’s Upper House, and delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan, as well as special envoys and security experts. The high-level discussions were held behind closed doors.

On the sidelines of the summit, President Tinubu held bilateral talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs.

The Nigerian leader also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss religious harmony in Nigeria and address disinformation campaigns portraying the country as intolerant of religious diversity.

Since its inception, the Aqaba Process has hosted 33 meetings at various levels, focusing on prevention, coordination, and bridging operational gaps in counterterrorism.