Bauchi Equips Monarchs, Youths With Intelligence Gathering, Early Warning Skills

Bauchi State Ministry for Internal Security and Home Affairs, in collaboration with Reading Academy Consultancy Ltd, has organised a three-day capacity-building workshop for traditional rulers, youth groups and community leaders to strengthen grassroots intelligence gathering, community policing and collaborative governance for sustainable peace and investment protection.

During the workshop with the theme “Strengthening Grassroots Security Architecture,” held yesterday in Bauchi, the chief security adviser to the governor, DIG Sani Usman Mohammed (rtd), said the programme was designed to establish effective community-based intelligence networks, strengthen early warning and response mechanisms to enhance security, peacebuilding and sustainable development.

Represented by the senior special assistant to the Governor on Internal Security, Babayo Liman, the security adviser stressed that security remains the foundation for sustainable development, peaceful coexistence and economic prosperity.

He noted that meaningful investment cannot thrive where insecurity persists, while governments cannot effectively deliver democratic dividends in communities living under constant threats of violence and criminality.

According to him, many parts of Nigeria continue to grapple with farmers-herders clashes, cattle rustling, kidnapping, rural banditry, communal conflicts and violent extremism, all of which threaten lives, livelihoods and socio-economic development.

Mohammed said the successful hosting of the Bauchi State Investment Summit 1.0 reflected the government’s determination to position the state as a preferred destination for both local and foreign investors.

He added that sustaining investors’ confidence requires a secure, stable and predictable environment where production, transportation and commercial activities can thrive without disruption.

According to him, strengthening community-based security mechanisms has therefore become a critical component of the state’s development agenda.

He said the workshop would equip participants with practical knowledge and skills needed to establish effective grassroots intelligence systems capable of preventing conflicts, promoting peaceful coexistence and strengthening the state’s security architecture.

Also speaking, the Commander-General and Permanent Secretary of the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment, Alhaji Umar Shayi, said the workshop was intended to deepen participants’ understanding of Community-Based Intelligence Networks and improve collaboration among traditional institutions, local governments, security agencies and community organisations.

He said participants would also be trained to identify early indicators of insecurity, develop practical community action plans for intelligence gathering and conflict prevention, and promote trust, dialogue and information sharing among stakeholders.

Shayi described traditional rulers as the closest governance institutions to the people, noting that they possess extensive knowledge of their communities, family structures, migration patterns and historical relationships.

According to him, traditional rulers should monitor emerging tensions, facilitate mediation, encourage dialogue, promptly report security concerns and coordinate community peace committees.

He added that youth groups, women associations, farmers’ cooperatives, pastoralist organisations, market unions and faith-based groups must also actively participate in intelligence sharing and conflict prevention.

Shayi said the initiative aligns with Governor Bala Mohammed’s vision of consolidating the gains of the Bauchi State Investment Summit 1.0 by strengthening social cohesion, safeguarding investments and creating an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth.

Delivering a paper titled “Traditional Conflict Resolution Mechanisms as a Tool for Sustainable Peacebuilding,” Muhammad Hadi Musa of the Department of Peace and Conflict Resolution, National Open University of Nigeria, described conflict as an inevitable feature of every human society.

He said disputes arising from differences in culture, religion, ethnicity, politics and competition over land, water and economic opportunities often become destructive when not properly managed.

According to him, recurring farmers-herders conflicts, communal disputes, youth violence, cattle rustling and banditry continue to threaten rural development and national security across Nigeria.