Senate Unveils Zonal Security Dialogue Plan To Tackle Insecurity

…to engage with victims of armed violence

Amid security challenges across Nigeria, the Senate has announced plans to engage key stakeholders in each of the six geo-political zones to uncover the root causes of insecurity and develop practical solutions for lasting peace.

The initiative was unveiled by the Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during the committee’s inaugural meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.

Bamidele emphasized that no investment in infrastructure can yield meaningful results without first addressing the country’s security concerns.

“Transforming pervasive insecurity into enduring peace is at the heart of this summit,” he stated.

The Senate had earlier constituted a 20-member committee to lead the National Security Summit in response to growing threats to lives, property, and critical infrastructure nationwide. Members include prominent lawmakers such as Chief Whip Senator Tahir Monguno, Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, Minority Whip Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Gbenga Daniel, Senator Ahmed Lawan, and Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, among others.

According to Bamidele, the committee’s zonal meetings will provide a platform for community-driven dialogue and region-specific strategies.

“The goal is to ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of location or status, can live and work in peace,” he said.

“To achieve this objective, the committee will first hold meetings with critical stakeholders in each geo-political zone with a view to unravelling the root causes of security challenges, identifying key actors behind it and devising measures for their effective management.

“The committee shall also engage victims of armed violence in different parts of the federation for the purpose of seeking diverse perspectives to these challenges. We will interact with our people on ground; listen to their fear and apprehension and garner their suggestions on how to transform insecurity to effective order,” Bamidele said.

He further explained that Nigeria “can only be on the path of development and prosperity when peace and unity are guaranteed.

Therefore, the committee will work round the clock to come up with far-reaching measures that will bring about peace and stability

“The summit will involve every segment of Nigerian society; traditional institutions, government agencies, military and intelligence/security agencies, and local government, the media and other public spirited individuals and groups with good ideas to share towards attaining the desired outcome of the summit.”

Providing insight into the country’s security dynamics, the Senate Leader noted the ugly trends of banditry and kidnapping in the North-west; terrorism and extremist violence in the North-east; farmers-herders crisis in the North-central; separatism and gang violence in the South-east; environmental conflict and oil theft in the South-south as well as abduction and ritual killings in the South-west.

The chairman noted that the activities of insurgents and bandits “were restricted to the North-east and North-west in the past with a few states attacked in the North-central. Today, however, Kwara is negatively affected. The story of Benue is getting worse by the day.

“In the South-east, the separatist and farmers-herdsmen conflicts are becoming almost a daily occurrence. This is compounded by the menace of kidnap for ransom. The South-west is not left out of this plague, especially with the increasing cases of ritual killing.

“The South-south, too, is plagued with the incessant vandalisation of national oil assets, kidnapping, oil theft, piracy and sea armed robbery. All these issues constitute economic sabotage to our fatherland,” Bamidele said.