Group Urges South-South Governors To Urgently Reactivate BRACED Commission Before Insecurity Overruns Region

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BENIN – The Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) has called on governors of the South-South region to urgently reactivate and adequately fund the BRACED Commission as a coordinated regional response to the rising wave of insecurity across Nigeria.

The forum also urged the governors to immediately convene a South-South Security and Development Summit aimed at reviving the BRACED Commission, establishing a regional security coordination centre, strengthening intelligence gathering, and creating a united front against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, sea piracy, and economic sabotage in the sub-region.

The call was contained in a statement jointly signed by the President of the forum, Austin Ozobo, and its Secretary, Tare Magbei, and made available to journalists in Benin.

Citing a recent Reuters report, the IPF expressed concern over the southward spread of kidnapping-for-ransom attacks, warning that South-South governors must treat the development as a serious security threat.

“No responsible regional leadership should wait until bandits, kidnappers, terrorists, and criminal cartels become entrenched before taking action,” the statement said.

According to the forum, Delta State and other parts of the South-South are already experiencing security pressures from neighbouring states, while the Niger Delta continues to grapple with kidnapping, cult-related violence, oil theft, and other forms of organised crime.

The forum warned that criminal networks do not respect state boundaries, noting that a threat emerging in one state could quickly spread across the region in the absence of coordinated security measures.

“A threat that enters Edo today can move into Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, or Cross River tomorrow if there is no common security architecture backed by intelligence sharing, maritime surveillance, and joint emergency response,” the statement added.

The IPF described the continued inactivity of the BRACED Commission as unacceptable, stressing that the commission was established to promote regional integration, security cooperation, and development among South-South states.

The forum further noted that the commission’s inactivity comes at a time when the region urgently needs a coordinated approach to address growing security challenges.

Describing the South-South as Nigeria’s economic backbone, the IPF urged the governors to act without delay, warning that failure to do so could have serious consequences.

“Silence will be costly. History will not forgive any leadership that saw the warning signs and failed to prepare,” the statement added.