FIC REPORT (BENUE STATE) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for stronger collaboration among governments, security agencies, traditional institutions and communities to address insecurity and promote lasting peace in the North-Central region.
The President made the call on Monday, August 31, 2026, while declaring open the 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit in Makurdi, Benue State. He was represented at the summit by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
President Tinubu said security remained a central pillar of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that sustained security operations had restored normalcy to several parts of the region, with terrorists neutralised and several captives rescued.
He, however, stressed that military action alone could not provide a lasting solution to insecurity, urging stakeholders to adopt a developmental approach that would tackle the underlying conditions that make communities vulnerable to criminality and violent extremism.
The President urged governments, security agencies, communities and other stakeholders to remain relentless and unflinching in the fight against insecurity, stressing that restoring peace was a collective responsibility.
Speaking on the theme of the summit, “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability,” the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), said the engagement was an important step towards strengthening cooperation among government, security agencies, traditional institutions and communities.
General Musa said the North-Central region occupied a strategic position in Nigeria, connecting different parts of the country and contributing significantly to agriculture, food security, commerce and national cohesion.
He identified recurring communal conflicts, farmer-herder disputes, banditry, kidnapping, proliferation of illicit arms and other forms of criminality as persistent threats to lives and livelihoods in parts of the region.
The Minister maintained that the challenges were complex and could not be resolved through military action alone, noting that while the Armed Forces and other security agencies had a critical role in protecting lives and restoring security, sustainable stability required timely intelligence, effective coordination, conflict prevention, community engagement, responsible governance and economic opportunities.
According to him, the objective must go beyond responding to security threats as they arise to address the conditions that allow insecurity to take root and persist.
General Musa said the Federal Government, under President Tinubu, remained committed to strengthening the capacity and welfare of security personnel, improving intelligence gathering and inter-agency cooperation, while addressing the broader conditions undermining peace and development.
He emphasised that security and development were inseparable, noting that farmers could not cultivate confidently when access to their farmlands was threatened, while traders could not sustain businesses where movement was unsafe.
The Minister said the ultimate measure of success should be the restoration of public confidence, revival of legitimate economic activities and the ability of citizens to live their lives without fear.
Senator Akume further disclosed that the outcome and recommendations of the summit would be conveyed to President Tinubu by the Minister of Defence for consideration and implementation.
IRENE IVEREN ONEHI
Head of Center FIC Makurdi
