Community Policing Crucial To Tackling Insecurity Across Nigeria – Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has identified community policing as a vital strategy for addressing insecurity across Nigeria, stressing that lasting peace can only be achieved through strong collaboration between security agencies and local communities.

Represented by the Chiroman Kano, Alhaji Adamu Lamido Sanusi, the Sultan made the remarks on Wednesday at the Arewa Awareness Summit on Unity Against Insecurity, held at Arewa House in Kaduna.

He said local communities, particularly young people, possess invaluable knowledge of their surroundings and should be actively involved in intelligence gathering and crime prevention efforts.

“I personally believe in community policing. To fight crime, we have to work with the people,” he said.

The Sultan explained that he had consistently partnered with imams, religious leaders, youth groups and other community stakeholders to promote peace and strengthen security within his domain.

“I personally work with the imams, religious leaders, youth groups and other community stakeholders to address the challenges in my area, working to ensure peace and security in the community,” he said.

He described intelligence gathering as an essential component of combating crime, noting that residents are often better placed than outsiders to identify suspicious activities within their communities.

“The people in the community, especially the youth, are already in the community. They know the community and the areas better than anyone else. You can gather more information through collaboration with the community and through multiple agencies working together in the community,” he said.

According to the monarch, closer cooperation between communities and security agencies would significantly enhance efforts to tackle banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminal activity.

“So, this cooperation, this working together hand in hand, is highly important in fighting crime in our communities and in the country,” he added.

The Sultan also praised the organisers of the summit, describing the initiative as a timely platform for exchanging ideas and strengthening partnerships to address insecurity across Northern Nigeria.

“I commend this programme. It is a very good initiative to listen to, and I hope we will continue to listen and learn more from our key speakers,” he said.

He added that he attended the summit to gain fresh insights from experts and broaden his understanding of emerging security challenges.

“I am really glad to be here at this programme, and I am looking forward to learning from the key speakers. I really wish to learn from them as part of my daily job,” he said.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Arewa for Peace, Unity, Cohesion and Development Initiative (ACI), Dr Abdullahi Idris, said the summit was organised to develop practical solutions to the growing insecurity in Northern Nigeria.

He noted that participants were expected to formulate strategies to strengthen dialogue between communities and the government while encouraging collective action against insecurity.

Also speaking, Prof. Mohammed Tasiu Dan Sabo, who represented Prof. Ahmad Rufai, said military operations alone could not deliver sustainable peace.

“There has to be a link between security, justice, governance and livelihoods,” he said, stressing that “lasting peace cannot be achieved through military operations alone.”

The one-day summit brought together traditional rulers, security agencies, religious leaders, academics, civil society organisations and youth groups to deliberate on practical approaches to tackling insecurity across Northern Nigeria.

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