President tasks traditional, religious leaders, youths on collaboration, intelligence sharing

Henry Iyorkase, Makurdi

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that military action alone cannot end the persistent insecurity confronting the North Central region, stressing that lasting peace requires a combination of security operations, reconciliation, economic development and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.

The President made the declaration 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 (SGF), Senator George Akume.

The summit, which was organised under the theme, “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability,” brought together governors, ministers, Service Chiefs, traditional and religious leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations, women, youths, development partners and private-sector representatives.

President Tinubu called on all stakeholders in the region to work collectively with the Federal Government and security agencies to confront the security challenges threatening lives, livelihoods and economic activities.

He particularly urged traditional and religious leaders to strengthen unity, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in their communities, describing them as critical actors in preventing conflicts before they escalate.

According to him, traditional and religious leaders are strategically positioned to identify early signs of danger because of their closeness to the people.

“To our revered traditional rulers and religious leaders, you hold an authority that no uniform confers. You know your communities intimately. You know when a stranger arrives, when a young man falls into bad company, and when a quarrel between two families is about to become a conflict between two peoples.

“I ask you to be our first line of early warning and our most trusted voice of reconciliation,” the President said.

He urged communities to provide timely intelligence to security agencies and reject the practice of shielding criminals because of family, ethnic or community affiliations.

“Security begins with you. I call on every citizen to share information with the security agencies, to refuse to shield criminality out of kinship or sentiment, and to resist those who would recruit our sons into violence for a handful of naira,” Tinubu stated.

The President stressed that insecurity in the North Central had assumed a dimension that transcended state boundaries, making collaboration among states, communities, security agencies and other institutions imperative.

He said no individual security agency, tier of government or community could effectively secure the region by acting alone.

“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. Criminals move freely across local government areas while our responses are too often slowed by rivalry, duplication and the withholding of information. That must end,” he said.

Tinubu said his administration had continued to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture through improved collaboration among the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and intelligence services, as well as the acquisition of new platforms and advanced capabilities for the military.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government was rebuilding the country’s indigenous defence industry through the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act, while improving the welfare of troops to enhance their effectiveness in the field.

The President commended members of the Armed Forces, police and other security agencies for their sacrifices and the gains recorded in the fight against terrorists and criminal elements across the country.

He noted that terrorist commanders had been neutralised, thousands of fighters had surrendered, captives rescued, and normalcy restored to several communities.

Tinubu paid tribute to security personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty, particularly those operating in the North Central region.

However, he cautioned that military operations, though necessary, could not by themselves provide a permanent solution to the crisis.

“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 said.

The President identified competition over land and water, climate change, desertification, unresolved land-use issues, weak local dispute-resolution mechanisms and the proliferation of illicit weapons as some of the factors fuelling violent conflicts in the region.

He therefore said the Federal Government would continue to combine kinetic security operations with developmental interventions aimed at addressing the root causes of insecurity.

Tinubu pointed to the Federal Government’s efforts through the Ministry of Livestock Development to transition from open grazing to modern and settled livestock production.

According to him, the initiative is expected to protect farmlands, improve pastoral livelihoods and reduce one of the major triggers of farmer-herder conflicts.

He also highlighted the Reclaiming the Ungoverned Space for Economic Benefits Programme of the Ministry of Defence, which is designed to deploy the experience of retired military personnel towards securing and reviving communities affected by violence.

The President said investments in irrigation, mechanised agriculture, rural roads and access to credit under the Renewed Hope Agenda were also being pursued to transform the region’s vulnerabilities into economic opportunities.

He called on women to assume a central role in peace-building and conflict prevention, stressing that they often bear the greatest burden whenever violence erupts.

“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.

The President also addressed the region’s youths, assuring them that his administration remained committed to creating economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods capable of reducing their vulnerability to recruitment by criminal and violent groups.

“And to our young people, your energy is this region’s greatest asset. This administration is committed to expanding the opportunities that make a rifle a far less attractive prospect than a livelihood,” he said.

Tinubu also called on development partners and private-sector operators to increase their investments in the North Central, stressing that economic development was inseparable from security.

He urged investors to see the region not merely as an area requiring humanitarian intervention but as a region with significant economic potential.

“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,” the President said.

The President directed the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), to transmit the outcomes of the summit to him and provide a report on the implementation of its recommendations.

He warned participants against producing another communiqué that would eventually be abandoned without implementation.
Tinubu insisted that the summit must produce practical recommendations with clearly assigned responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes.

“I expect this gathering to produce clear and practical recommendations, each with an identified owner, a defined timeline and a measurable outcome.

“We will be judged not by the quality of our deliberations here, but by whether a farmer in this region sleeps more soundly a year from now,” he said.

The President described the summit as the second in a series of regional security engagements being convened by his administration, following the South East Regional Security Summit held in Umuahia, Abia State, on July 30, 2026.

He said the regional engagements were based on the conviction that Nigeria’s security architecture must be strengthened from the communities upwards rather than being driven exclusively from Abuja.

Tinubu 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.

He also praised the Government and people of Benue State for hosting the event and commended the resilience of communities across the North Central in the face of prolonged security challenges.

The President urged governors, ministers, Service Chiefs, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, women, youths, development partners and private-sector representatives to engage in frank and constructive discussions and produce workable solutions to the region’s security challenges.

He thereafter declared the 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit open.

Welcoming participants to the summit, Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, described the regional security meeting as timely and long overdue, given the scale of insecurity confronting communities across the North Central.

Governor Alia stressed the need for stakeholders to pay particular attention to the recurring farmers-herders conflicts, kidnapping and other criminal activities that have continued to threaten peaceful coexistence and economic development in the state.

He called for a coordinated approach involving governments, security agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies, community leaders and other stakeholders to address the root causes of insecurity.

The governor maintained that security must go beyond the deployment of personnel and equipment, stressing the importance of dialogue, justice, reconciliation, economic empowerment and effective community engagement.

He said the people of Benue and other North Central states were desirous of an environment where farmers could return safely to their farms, businesses could thrive and communities could live together without fear.

The summit, he noted, therefore provided an opportunity for stakeholders to move beyond discussions and develop practical measures capable of producing measurable improvements in security across the region.

With the President’s call for clearly defined responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes, participants are expected to develop a coordinated framework capable of strengthening security, restoring confidence and promoting sustainable development throughout the North Central.