Federal Government Pushes Community-Led Approach to Tackling Nigeria’s Insecurity
The Federal Government has called for greater involvement of local communities in efforts to address insecurity, saying sustainable peace will depend on strengthening grassroots initiatives rather than relying solely on conventional security measures.
The Director-General of the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, Chris Ngwodo, made the call in Kano during a policy dialogue on building an inclusive national infrastructure for peace and resilience. He said the proposed framework would connect community-level peacebuilding efforts with federal support across states, local government areas and communities.
The initiative is expected to strengthen early warning systems, mediation, dialogue and coordinated responses to threats including banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, communal violence and tensions linked to elections. Participants at the meeting also stressed the need to address the economic conditions driving young people into criminal activities. Sulaiman Iguda Ladan, a lecturer and researcher on banditry, said the pattern of attacks had shifted in parts of Katsina State, with younger perpetrators increasingly operating in small groups and targeting traders, motorcycles and livestock.
Stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders, academics, civil society organisations, women and youth representatives, urged authorities to combine security interventions with livelihood opportunities and social cohesion programmes. They argued that without addressing the economic and social factors sustaining insecurity, smaller-scale criminal activities could continue even where major bandit groups are weakened.
