By Aloysius Umalo Makurdi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, Communities, youths, women, development partners and the private sector in the North Central to strengthen collaboration with government and security agencies to tackle insecurity and build lasting peace in the region.
Tinubu made the call on Monday at the 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit held in Makurdi, Benue State, where he was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
The summit, with the theme, “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability,” brought together governors, ministers, security chiefs, traditional and religious leaders, Community representatives, civil society organisations, women, youths and private sector stakeholders.
The President stressed that no single security agency, tier of government or Community could secure the region acting in isolation, noting that insecurity had continued to transcend state boundaries.
He urged stakeholders to overcome rivalry, duplication of efforts and the withholding of vital intelligence, which he said had often slowed responses to criminal activities.
“No single agency, no single tier of government and no single community can secure this region acting alone. Insecurity does not respect state boundaries or agency mandates,” Tinubu said.
The President particularly charged traditional and religious leaders to serve as the first line of early warning and trusted voices of reconciliation within their Communities.
He also urged citizens to provide timely information to security agencies and refuse to shield criminals because of kinship, ethnicity or other sentiments.
“Security begins with you,” the President said, stressing that communities must take greater responsibility for their security.
Tinubu said his administration had strengthened the nation’s security architecture through enhanced collaboration among the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force and intelligence services, while also acquiring new platforms and advanced capabilities for the military.
He added that the Federal Government was rebuilding Nigeria’s indigenous defence industry through the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Act and improving the welfare of security personnel to enhance their operational effectiveness.
The President commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for gains recorded against terrorists and criminal elements, including the neutralisation of terrorist commanders, surrender of fighters, rescue of captives and restoration of normalcy to several communities.
He, however, cautioned that military action alone could not guarantee sustainable peace in the North Central.
According to him, competition over land and water, climate change, desertification, unresolved land-use issues, weak local dispute-resolution mechanisms and the proliferation of illicit weapons were among the factors fuelling violent conflicts.
“Military action alone will not deliver lasting peace to the North Central. Force can suppress violence; it cannot resolve the grievances that produce it,” he stated.
Tinubu said the Federal Government would therefore continue to combine kinetic operations with developmental interventions, citing initiatives in livestock development, irrigation, mechanised agriculture, rural roads and access to credit.
He also highlighted the Reclaiming the Ungoverned Space for Economic Benefits Programme of the Ministry of Defence, designed to deploy the experience of retired military personnel in securing and reviving Communities recovering from violence.
The President further called on women and youths to occupy central positions in peace-building efforts, assuring young people of his administration’s commitment to expanding economic opportunities and livelihoods.
“To our women, who bear the heaviest burden of every conflict and yet remain the most effective peacebuilders in every community, your place is not at the margins of this conversation but at its centre,” he said.
Tinubu also invited the private sector and development partners to increase investments in the region, arguing that employment, economic opportunities and peace were mutually reinforcing.
“Peace and investment reinforce one another. Every factory built, every farm expanded and every young person employed in this region is a contribution to its security,” he said.
He directed the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), to transmit the outcomes of the summit to him and report on the implementation of its recommendations.
The President warned against producing another communiqué that would be “filed away and forgotten,” insisting that the summit must produce practical recommendations with clearly assigned responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes.
He said the success of the summit would ultimately be measured by whether farmers and other residents of the region could live and work without fear.
On his part, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), said the Federal Government was determined to adopt a different approach to tackling insecurity in the North Central.
Musa, who described the summit as an opportunity to hear directly from the people of the region, said all stakeholders must be truthful and focus on finding solutions rather than trading blame.
He said the Armed Forces and other security formations could not resolve the country’s security challenges alone, stressing that traditional rulers, Communities, security agencies and citizens all had roles to play.
According to him, recurring communal conflicts, farmer-herder disputes, banditry, kidnapping, proliferation of illicit arms and other forms of criminality continued to threaten lives and livelihoods across the region.
“These challenges are complex and they cannot be resolved by military action alone,” he said.
The minister identified intelligence sharing, effective coordination, conflict prevention, meaningful Community engagement, responsible governance and economic opportunities as critical components of lasting stability.
He said the North Central occupied a strategic position in Nigeria because of its importance to agriculture, food security, commerce and national cohesion.
“When the region is peaceful, the benefits extend well beyond the geographical boundaries. When insecurity persists, its consequences are felt across the country,” Musa said.
He declared: “Enough of the bloodshed in North Central Nigeria.”
Earlier, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, said the security challenges confronting the North Central required a collaborative strategy involving government, security agencies, traditional institutions and the local Communities.
Alia said the theme of the summit was particularly relevant to the realities confronting Communities across the region, including banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping, violent extremism, organised crime and other threats.
He argued that the region’s ethnic diversity should be regarded as a source of strength rather than division.
“The moment we set aside our differences to confront the enemy of insecurity; half the battle is already won,” the governor said.
He stressed that collaboration must go beyond communiqués and become operational at the Community level, particularly through traditional rulers and Community leaders who, according to him, often possess critical information about emerging threats.
Alia said Benue’s decision to host the summit was deliberate, noting the historical security challenges along the Benue-Plateau axis.
He commended the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, North Central, for organising the summit.
The governor also stressed the economic importance of securing the North Central, particularly its contribution to Nigeria’s food supply and agricultural production.
He explained that insecurity in the region was not only a regional challenge but one with consequences for the entire country.
“When the North Central is insecure, it is not only our problem, the whole country feels it on its dining table,” Alia said.
He urged participants to ensure that the summit produced concrete and sustainable outcomes capable of strengthening the region’s security architecture.
“For us in the North Central, this opportunity is golden,” he said, urging stakeholders to ensure that the meeting would be remembered not merely for speeches but for practical security solutions.
