🇳🇬 Nigeria Moves to Build National Counter-IED Architecture as UK, UN Back Security Reforms

 

Nigeria has begun a structured effort to develop a coordinated national capability against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), as security partners and international organisations push for a more integrated response to one of the most persistent threats shaping the country’s counter-terrorism landscape.

Desk: Defence & Security
Date: Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Time: 13:27 WAT
Location: Abuja, Nigeria

The initiative is being advanced through a Counter-IED Baseline Self-Assessment Workshop convened by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja, bringing together the Nigerian military, law enforcement agencies and international partners to map existing capabilities, identify operational gaps and design a long-term national response architecture.

Representatives of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the British High Commission said the process marks an important step toward strengthening Nigeria’s ability to detect, disrupt and neutralise explosive threats targeting both civilians and security forces.

Edwin Faigmane, representing the United Nations Mine Action Service, explained that the United Nations system is focused on mitigating the impact of IEDs on personnel, communities and critical infrastructure while helping countries build national counter-IED frameworks aligned with international standards.

Faigmane noted that UNMAS, which serves as the global focal point for mine action within the United Nations system, is supporting Nigeria’s efforts through technical expertise and capacity development programmes designed to strengthen national counter-IED capabilities.

According to him, the Abuja workshop is part of a broader programme that began in 2024 with an operational assessment of the IED response capabilities of the Nigeria Police Force, a process that later expanded into specialised training for personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

He said those programmes, supported by the governments of the United Kingdom and Japan, have already produced trained personnel in explosive hazards awareness, armed search operations, conventional munitions disposal and IED disposal in line with international standards.

“At the end of the training period, Nigeria now has 15 qualified IED and conventional munitions disposal officers as well as 25 officers trained in search operations,” he said, adding that the next phase will involve deploying operational teams once specialised equipment arrives later this year.

Faigmane also disclosed that discussions emerging from the workshop could form the foundation for a national counter-IED strategy and the possible establishment of a dedicated coordination cell to harmonise responses across security institutions.

The United Kingdom, which is supporting the programme through its Integrated Security Fund, described the workshop as a key milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s national counter-IED enterprise.

Annup Vyas, Head of the Integrated Security Fund Programme at the British High Commission, said the threat posed by IEDs remains deeply damaging to lives, communities and national stability, affecting soldiers, civilians and infrastructure alike.

Vyas stressed that effective counter-IED responses require more than operational resources, noting that governments must first develop a clear understanding of institutional strengths, operational gaps and coordination challenges across agencies involved in counter-terrorism operations.

He explained that the assessment framework being used in Abuja, developed by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, provides a structured methodology for evaluating national capabilities across prevention, detection, mitigation, investigation and consequence management.

The process, he added, is designed to move beyond routine assessments and instead create a shared analytical framework that allows Nigeria to benchmark its counter-IED architecture and design targeted improvements.

Security analysts say the effort reflects a growing recognition that IEDs have become a defining tool of asymmetric warfare across parts of Nigeria’s conflict theatres, requiring a multi-agency response that combines intelligence, policing, military operations and specialised technical capacity.

The workshop is expected to produce recommendations that will guide future investments, training priorities and institutional coordination mechanisms for Nigeria’s counter-IED operations.

Participants are also expected to outline pathways for deeper collaboration between security agencies and international partners as Nigeria strengthens its capacity to prevent and respond to explosive threats in both conflict zones and civilian environments.

The outcomes of the exercise could ultimately shape a more coordinated national strategy aimed at reducing the operational impact of IEDs while improving protection for both communities and frontline personnel.

🏷️ Tags: Nigeria Counter-IED Strategy, NCTC Nigeria, UNMAS Nigeria, British High Commission Nigeria, Counter Terrorism Cooperation

#NigeriaSecurity #CounterIED #NCTC #UNMAS #UKNigeriaPartnership