By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah and Aza Msue
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned that military force alone cannot bring lasting peace to the North Central, saying the grievances and underlying social, economic and environmental factors fuelling violence must also be addressed.
The president consequently called for stronger collaboration among traditional and religious leaders, communities, youths, women, development partners, the private sector, government and security agencies to tackle insecurity and build sustainable peace across the region.
Tinubu spoke yesterday at the 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit in Makurdi, Benue State, where he was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
In a statement by the SGF’s spokesman, Yomi Odunuga, the President urged traditional and religious leaders to serve as the first line of early warning and trusted voices of reconciliation in their communities. He also called on citizens to provide timely intelligence to security agencies and refuse to shield criminals on the basis of kinship or sentiment.
Speaking on the theme, “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability,” Tinubu stressed that no single security agency, tier of government or community could secure the region acting alone.
According to him, insecurity transcends state boundaries and institutional mandates, making it necessary for security agencies and communities to overcome rivalry, duplication of efforts and the withholding of vital information.
“No single agency, no single tier of government and no single community can secure this region acting alone. Insecurity does not respect state boundaries or agency mandates. Criminals move freely across local government areas while our responses are too often slowed by rivalry, duplication and the withholding of information. That must end,” he said.
Military action not enough
Tinubu said his administration had strengthened the nation’s security architecture through enhanced collaboration among the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force and intelligence services, alongside the acquisition of new platforms and advanced military capabilities.
He added that the administration was rebuilding Nigeria’s indigenous defence industry through the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act, while improving troops’ welfare to enhance their operational effectiveness.
The President commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for gains recorded against terrorists and other criminal elements, noting that terrorist commanders had been neutralised, thousands of fighters had surrendered, captives rescued and normalcy restored to several communities.
He, however, cautioned that military action alone could not guarantee sustainable peace, stressing that the root causes of violent conflicts must be addressed.
He identified competition over land and water, climate change, desertification, unresolved land-use issues, weak local dispute-resolution mechanisms and the proliferation of illicit weapons as factors sustaining violence in the region.
“Military action alone will not deliver lasting peace to the North Central. Force can suppress violence; it cannot resolve the grievances that produce it,” Tinubu said.
He said the federal government would therefore continue to combine kinetic operations with developmental interventions.
The President cited efforts by the Ministry of Livestock Development to transition from open grazing to modern, settled livestock production as part of measures to protect farmlands, improve pastoral livelihoods and eliminate a major trigger of conflict.
He also highlighted the Ministry of Defence’s Reclaiming the Ungoverned Space for Economic Benefits Programme, designed to leverage the experience of retired military personnel to secure and revive communities recovering from violence.
Tinubu said investments in irrigation, mechanised agriculture, rural roads and access to credit under the Renewed Hope Agenda were aimed at turning the region’s vulnerabilities into economic opportunities.
