Borno Seeks Community- driven Security Framework

Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Professor Usman Tar, has called for a strengthened, intelligence led, and community driven security framework to confront the evolving security threats in Nigeria, particularly across the North East.

Professor Tar, who also serves as Chairman of the Progressive Commissioners Forum, the body of all Information Commissioners in APC-controlled states, made the submission yesterday at the North-East Security Summit convened by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on National Security in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The summit was declared open by Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, who was represented by his deputy, Umar Usman Kadafur.

Governor Zulum described the engagement as a defining moment for the region, noting that the mutating nature of insecurity necessitates coordinated, innovative, and region-driven interventions.

He acknowledged the substantial military gains recorded over the years but stressed that the insurgency remains complex and adaptive, requiring both kinetic and non kinetic approaches.

Governor Zulum explained that the summit was not a routine meeting but a strategic consultation aimed at designing a sustainable, multi layered security architecture for all states of the North East.

He reaffirmed the state government’s long standing conviction that security and development are inseparable, citing Borno’s ongoing reconstruction of destroyed communities, extensive resettlement of internally displaced persons, and wide scale investment in agriculture, education, and healthcare as evidence of this philosophy.

He commended the Armed Forces, security agencies, the Civilian Joint Task Force, and community hunters for their crucial roles in stabilising the state.

The Governor urged participants to prioritise actionable intelligence sharing, enhanced border security, addressing the root causes of radicalisation, and long term post conflict stabilisation. He called on stakeholders to develop a concrete, actionable, and time bound roadmap capable of strengthening regional security and insulating communities against future threats.

Presenting Borno’s position paper titled, “The Way Forward in Tackling National Security Issues at the Local Level,” Professor Tar emphasised that the North-East must embrace collaborative learning and renewed federal and state synergy to guide recommendations to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He described Borno as the epicentre of Nigeria’s counter insurgency operations, noting that the state has endured years of humanitarian devastation, widespread displacement, and economic disruption.

Professor Tar outlined Borno’s persistent challenges, including the activities of residual insurgent cells, large scale displacement, socio economic vulnerability that fuels extremist recruitment, and governance gaps across some local government areas. He referenced the state’s evolving security architecture, anchored on the Borno State Security Council, the reconfigured Ministry of Information and Internal Security, the Borno Model for deradicalisation and reintegration, the Security Trust Fund, and the CJTF, Hunters and Vigilante hybrid network, which is supporting conventional forces.

In his remarks, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Chairman of the North East National Security Summit, warned that insecurity across Nigeria has reached alarming proportions, worsening poverty, displacement, and social instability, particularly in the North East.

A self described direct victim of the crisis, Senator Monguno expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation in internally displaced persons camps and the rising number of widows and orphans across the region. He attributed the persistence of insurgency to external influences, local collaborators, and the multi dimensional tactics employed by terror groups, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, and bandit networks.

He stated that the Senate initiated the Zonal Security Hearings to gather firsthand insights from affected communities and craft legislative responses suited to current realities. He emphasised that national security laws must evolve to keep pace with emerging threats and reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with neighbouring countries and ensuring adequate funding for the Multi National Joint Task Force. Senator Monguno also highlighted the need for modern security technologies such as drones, information security systems, and advanced intelligence tools, stressing that Nigeria cannot continue confronting contemporary threats with outdated equipment.