Alia Advocates Community Security at North-Central Summit

On Thursday, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State urged all levels of government and community structures in Nigeria to adopt coordinated approaches to combat insecurity during his welcome address at the North-Central Regional Security Summit in Makurdi. Alia warned that military deployments alone would not ensure lasting peace and highlighted the importance of engaging traditional rulers and local networks that can detect threats early.

He noted that Benue State is situated in a troubled security corridor, particularly along the Benue-Plateau axis, which has been plagued by violence. Alia pointed out that socio-economic factors such as poverty and idleness contribute to crime and called for responses that address these underlying issues alongside improved intelligence-sharing.

He framed the stability of the North Central zone as a national concern due to its significance as a source of food and mineral resources. The summit, organized by the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, aimed to localize security responses to various forms of violence in the region.