The security issues in North-Central Nigeria are pretty complex. The North Central region, specifically Benue State, which used to be Nigeria’s food basket, is struggling due to banditry, displacement, and farmer-herder conflicts. These issues have devastated agricultural productivity, leading to food inflation, displacement, and mass migration.
Poverty, hunger, farmer-herder conflicts, and terrorism are germain security threats, fueling crime, violence, and instability. These conflicts have disrupted farming communities and agricultural productivity, and contributed to food inflation and mass migration.
There have been several recommendations on how to address these issues, but to no avail. Thus, when the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) hosted the North-Central Security Summit in Makurdi on July 28, the aim is not just to contribute to the discourse but to find very workable solutions to the conflicts.
From the theme of the summit, “Strengthening Security, Rule of Law, and Justice Delivery in North-Central Nigeria,” one can deduce that the participants, comprising senior legal minds, government officials, security agencies, and civil society leaders, are determined to restore peace, ensure accountability, and initiate legal reforms for sustainable peace in the region.
The dicey security situation in the region was captured aptly by Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State when he said the region is facing “a bad infestation of insurgencies and unimaginable violence.”
“This summit extends beyond a mere assembly,” the governor stated. “It serves as a clarion call for innovative strategies, transformative dialogue, and collective action to foster peace, uphold the rule of law, and strengthen justice delivery systems.”
Governor Alia did not mince word in going through the state’s struggles and lamentations over the recurring farmer-herder conflicts, banditry, terrorism, and judicial inefficiencies. His prayer, however, is that the summit would articulate practical, long-term solutions.
For the NBA, the North-Central is in crisis, and the urgency to reverse the ugly situation is real. NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, underscored the urgency by making reference to the recent killing of over 100 villagers in Yelewata and the kidnapping of six law students en route to school. He is also not comfortable with Nigeria’s ranking as sixth on the global terrorism index at a time of food insecurity triggered by displacement.
“The killing has to stop, the kidnapping has to stop, and every hand must be on deck to ensure that we do this,” he chorused, and flagged all citizens to be vigilant and get involved in intelligence sharing. The NBA president’s most important message to everyone is to stop the blame game. Instead, everyone must genuinely agree to be part of the solution.
This is in line with the aim of the summit, which is to agitate transformative dialogue and ensure enduring solutions. In the words of the 3rd Vice President of the NBA, Zainab Aminu Garba, “Justice without security is illusion. Both must work hand in hand anchored firmly on the rule of law”.
She called on members of the bar to transcend litigation and become advocates of peace, voices for the displaced and the voiceless, and partners in building a just and secure society. “Let us be guided by the conviction that security is a right, not a privilege; that justice is a necessity, not a luxury; and that the rule of law is not just a concept, but a lifeline for any civilized society.”
With the recent Yelewata attack as reference point by all those who spoke during the opening of the summit, the expectations are for government to take decisive action to terminate the unending cycle of violence, kidnappings, and lawlessness in the region.
As the 3-day summit progresses, the NBA North-Central Security Summit 2025 is expected to deliberate extensively on policy, community engagement, and legal frameworks needed to improve security outcomes. With renewed calls for collaboration, justice reform, and community resilience, the summit is poised to chart a new course for the North-Central zone.
Bridget Ikyado- Tikyaa Is the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Publicity and Communication Strategy
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