North-West: Gov Sani harps on zonal  approach to curb insecurity

Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa Gwabin (rtd), has emphasised that security cannot be achieved solely through kinetic approach.

He made this known during the Northwest security summit held on Wednesday in Kaduna on Wednesday under the theme “Towards Enduring Peace and Harmony in the North-West Zone.” organized by the Cheren Peace Foundation in collaboration with the North-West Governors Forum.

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Represented by his Special Adviser, Alhaji Hussain Kasim, the minister aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” highlighting the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting coordinated security operations through inter-agency collaboration and community-focused approaches.

Under the summit’s sub-theme “Uniting North-West Youths in the Fight Against Drug Abuse, Banditry, Cultism, Kidnapping, Human Trafficking, and Economic Sabotage,” the minister urged young people to reject social vices, embrace education, skills development, entrepreneurship, and community service, and to become builders of peace rather than instruments of criminality.

In his own remarks,Kaduna State Governor Senator Uba Sani stressed the need for a zonal, whole-of-society approach that integrates security operations with governance reforms, community engagement, and socio-economic recovery.

Represented by the State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shaibu (SAN), Uba Sani emphasized that “no single state, institution, or security agency can address security threats in isolation.”

He called for strengthened inter-state collaboration, intelligence sharing, and joint responses while empowering local communities to act as partners in peace.

The governor outlined the complex security challenges facing the North-West, including banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, and communal tensions, along with their socio-economic consequences.

In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, Alhaji (Dr) Sa’ad Abubakar III, stated that without collective efforts to assist one another, “there will be no shade to rest.

He urged religious leaders to be champions of peace by promoting inter-faith dialogue and preaching compassion, forgiveness, and peaceful coexistence, drawing on the shared values that unite the faithful.

Represented by the Emir of Jama’a, Alhaji Muhammadu Isa Muhammadu II, the Sultan called for a collective approach to tackle insecurity, highlighting that no development can occur in an insecure environment.

Earlier ,his welcome address, Bishop Timothy Cheren, the convener of the Summit, reflected on the 25-year legacy of the Cheren Peace Foundation’s peace-building efforts.

He explained that the decision to organize the zonal summit stemmed from the “breakdown of peace” observed across the nation, characterized by rising banditry and terrorism.

Bishop Cheren noted that the foundation had previously held a North-Central Peace Summit in Nasarawa on October 10 and was now proud to host the North-West edition, graciously supported by the Kaduna State government.

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