Benue, Plateau governors push for teamwork against insecurity in North-central Nigeria

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, have called for better teamwork and local security measures to tackle insecurity in Nigeria’s North-central area.

The governors spoke on Monday at the North Central Regional Security Summit in Makurdi. The summit was organised by the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, together with the Benue State Government.

The event took place at the New Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House. It brought together the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who represented President Bola Tinubu, along with governors and representatives from various states in the region. Security and intelligence chiefs, traditional and religious leaders, community leaders, and other stakeholders also attended.

The theme of the summit was “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability.” It focused on issues like banditry, terrorism, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping, organised crime, and violent extremism that affect communities across the region.

Governor Mutfwang said the level of insecurity requires states to go beyond isolated efforts. He urged them to adopt a coordinated, intelligence-led regional strategy. He mentioned that calling the violence only farmer-herder clashes does not reflect the true nature of the attacks in many communities.

He described these attacks as invasions of communities and a threat to national sovereignty, especially when residents are forced out of their homes. “Leaders must confront insecurity with honesty and a sense of urgency because of its effects on poverty, economic deprivation, and development,” he said.

“Security agencies must move beyond reactionary responses and trace attackers to their sources and routes,” he added. Mutfwang pointed out that armed attackers use routes connecting parts of the North-west with Taraba and Nasarawa states to enter Plateau. He highlighted that porous borders and hard-to-monitor corridors make this easier.

He called for better intelligence gathering, cooperation between states, and coordinated security operations to identify and disrupt these routes. The governor also told security agencies to remove criminal groups from their hiding places and stop them from setting up permanent bases in communities.

He noted that many people displaced in Plateau still cannot return home. This is because the security conditions needed for safe and sustainable resettlement have not been fully established.

Governor Alia, who hosted the summit, said there needs to be a security strategy that gives more importance to traditional rulers, border communities, and local actors. These groups can provide early warning information about security issues.

“The moment we set aside our differences to confront the enemy of insecurity, half the battle is already won,” he said. Alia added that military deployments alone cannot solve insecurity and called for more community involvement and sharing of intelligence.

He also urged all stakeholders to tackle the social and economic issues that can lead to crime, like poverty and idleness. He pointed out that the North-central region is crucial for Nigeria’s food supply and mineral resources. Thus, its security is a national concern.

“When the North-central is insecure, it is not only our problem; the whole country feels it on its dining table,” Alia said. He pushed for Benue to host the summit because of the ongoing security challenges along the Benue-Plateau axis.

Alia urged everyone to make sure the summit results in practical and lasting measures, rather than just resolutions that will not be acted on. The summit organisers said the meeting aimed to localise security responses by bringing government and security agencies closer to communities affected by violence.

Alia emphasised that the North-central region’s agricultural and mineral resources are key to Nigeria’s economic stability. “Our farmers feed Nigeria. Our lands produce the food that sustains millions of families across the country,” he said.

Mutfwang echoed the need to see insecurity as a collective threat to the country’s territorial integrity and development, not just as isolated community disputes.