Set up regional vigilante security outfit, Northwest zone Governors urged

States governments in the North West zone of the country have been encouraged to establish and manage a regional vigilante security outfit that will collaborate with the security agencies of the federal government to tackle the challenge of insecurity in the area.

The counsel is contained in a communique issued after a two day International symposium organised by the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDU), Sokoto.

The Northwest geo-political zone Nigeria is made up of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara and the zone has been battling bandits for some time now.

The symposium, which held virtually on February 12 and 13, 2024, had as its theme “In Search of Enduring Solutions to Rural Banditry and other Security Challenges in the North West Zone of Nigeria,” and had participants from different parts of the world.

Signed by Abubakar Sokoto Mohammed, mni (Chairman) and Professor M. T. Usman (Director), the communique, also urged governments at all levels to increase their presence in border communities and the remotest parts of the rural areas in the zone for the maintenance of law and order, while ensuring the provision of amenities and social services.

It also called on government to give utmost priority to recruitment and regular training of personnel as well as the deployment of technology to improve the security of lives and property in the zone in particular and the country generally.

The symposium further recommended that “government should continue to engage local communities and the traditional rulers as partners for intelligence gathering in order to curb the dangerous growing trend of arms smuggling and trade in drugs.”

It also called on government to  “undertake regular study and constant review of both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies for curbing insecurity in the northwest” as well as “intensify the fight against corruption and meticulously monitor spendings of budgetary allocations to the security sector.”

The symposium, which had Dr Bulama Bukarti  of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, U.K; Dr Murtala Ahmed Rufa’I, Prof. Aliyu Muhanmad Bunza and Dr Abubakar Atiku Alkali  all of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Dr Abubakar Umar Gerei of Federal College of Education, Yola as key speakers equally “recommended that institutions of government responsible for law enforcement, prosecution and sanction should be more proactive in the discharge of their statutory functions to stem the tide of impunity.”

For the first time, according to the communique, English, Hausa and Fulfude languages were used for discussion during the sessions of the symposium to facilitate more contributions from the international audience that examined the limitations and constraints of the current strategies being adopted in tackling banditry and other security challenges; emerging issues and dynamics of banditry and other security challenges and peace-building and sustainable security in the Northwest region.

Based on the presentations and contributions by participants, some important observations were made, including that:

“The effectiveness of the current strategies for tackling insecurity has been undermined because of different types of challenges both operational and non-operational.

“Administrative lapses and bureaucratic bottlenecks in government especially the security sector have been identified as some of the prominent factors that slowed down the fight against banditry and other forms of insecurity.

“Lack of deployment of latest technology in the fight against insecurity and the neglect of the welfare of security personnel particularly among the lower cadre are counterproductive in confronting banditry and other security problems.

“Ineffective border control has been responsible for arms smuggling and illicit trade in drugs that are among the factors contributing to the rise of banditry in some areas of the northwest region.

“Ethnic profiling has become prominent in local communities, and consequently undermining social harmony and peaceful co-existence.

“Prolonged neglect of the remote communities in the rural areas by government, had contributed to the breakdown of law and order and widespread of crimes and insecurity.

“The lack of political will to sanction offenders has led to impunity and escalation in banditry and other offences related to insecurity.”