By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Political leaders, traditional rulers, security experts and civil society organisations on Wednesday gathered in Kaduna for the Arewa Awareness Summit on Unity Against Insecurity, aimed at developing a coordinated regional response to insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
The summit, organised by the Arewa for Unity, Cohesion and Development Initiative (ACI) at Arewa House, was themed “Unity, Cooperation and Collective Action Against Insecurity.” Participants included religious leaders, government officials, security agencies, youth and women groups, academics and media representatives.
Declaring the summit open, ACI Director-General Dr. Abdullahi Idris said the gathering was intended to promote dialogue and collective action in addressing insurgency, banditry and kidnapping across the region.
He said the organisation plans to establish quarterly dialogue sessions and a network of Community Peace and Youth Ambassadors to sustain peacebuilding efforts. According to Idris, the summit will also develop a regional peace and security framework through panel discussions, conflict mapping and stakeholder consultations.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. Joseph John Hayab, said lasting peace must be driven by local communities.
Hayab urged residents to take greater ownership of peacebuilding initiatives, arguing that community-level dialogue is essential to resolving conflicts and identifying the needs of those directly affected by violence.The summit is expected to conclude with recommendations aimed at strengthening collaboration among governments, traditional institutions, security agencies and local communities in addressing insecurity across the region.
