Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has stressed the need for a zonal, whole-of-society approach that integrates security operations with governance reforms, community engagement and socio-economic recovery.
He made this assertion on Wednesday in Kaduna during the North-West Zonal Peace and Security Summit, held under the theme, “Towards Enduring Peace and Harmony in the North-West Zone.” The event was organised by the Cheren Peace Foundation in collaboration with the North-West Governors Forum.
Represented by Sule Shaibu, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Uba Sani emphasised 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.
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He noted that these threats transcend state borders and thrive on poverty, exclusion, misinformation, and weak social cohesion.
He highlighted Kaduna’s “people-centered, intelligence-led, and non-kinetic complemented security strategy,” which combines logistical support for security agencies with dialogue, reconciliation, social cohesion, and justice.
Gov Uba Sani surmised that the State’s early-warning mechanisms and local peace structures are based on the belief that communities are not just victims but crucial partners in preventing and resolving insecurity.
According to him, to tackle the root causes of these issues, Kaduna is making deliberate investments in inclusive development—expanding education, skills acquisition, livelihoods, and social protection, particularly for youth and women—to restore hope and reduce the likelihood of criminal activity and violent extremism.
Looking beyond state lines, Governor Sani called for regional solidarity, harmonized policies on land use and pastoralism, joint border surveillance, and sustained collaboration among state governments, security agencies, and non-state actors.
He also cautioned against hate speech, misinformation, and inflammatory narratives, urging leaders, media practitioners, civil society, and citizens to promote messages of unity, tolerance, and coexistence.
In his remarks, Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, 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.
Similarly, Christopher Musa, Minister of Defence, emphasised that security cannot be achieved solely through kinetic means.
Represented by Husain Kasim, his Special Adviser, 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 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.
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. He called on politicians to stop sponsoring violence among youth, especially during election cycles, and urged religious leaders to combat hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.
He praised Governor Uba Sani for his “inter-faith synergy,” town-hall dialogues, and recent Senate hearing, awarding him the title “Beacon of Peace in the North-Central.” He concluded by urging all stakeholders—youth, traditional rulers, religious figures, civil society, and security agencies—to maintain the momentum generated by the summit and translate dialogue into concrete, lasting peace across the North-West and the nation as a whole.
