Senate Ad-Hoc Committee Convenes in Jos for North Central Security Summit, Seeks Realistic Strategies to Tackle Insecurity

The Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit on Thursday, November 27, 2025, held its North Central Zonal Public Hearing at Crispan Hotel and Suites, Jos, Plateau State, bringing together key stakeholders to chart workable solutions to insecurity across the region.

Chairman of the Committee and Leader of the Senate delegation, Senator Abba Patrick Moro, said the engagement aligns with the 10th Senate’s legislative agenda, which prioritizes inclusiveness and collaborative policymaking aimed at restoring national stability. He noted that Nigeria’s security challenges—including banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, and farmer–herder clashes—require broad consultation and community-driven responses.

According to him, the summit is designed to gather expert opinions, grassroots insights, and lived experiences that will shape legislative reforms and strengthen the nation’s security institutions. Senator Moro, who also serves as Senate Minority Leader, identified economic hardship, porous borders, arms proliferation, youth unemployment, and unresolved grievances as major drivers of insecurity. He urged participants to offer “concise, actionable, and realistic recommendations,” assuring that all submissions would be deliberated upon in the national interest.

Senators present at the meeting included Senator Titus Zam, Senator Diket Plang, Senator Emmanuel Udendi, and Senator Harishiru.

Matthewtegha Blog reports that stakeholders from religious institutions, civil society organizations, ethnic associations, and professional bodies made presentations calling for immediate action to end killings and forced displacement, particularly land grabbing by armed groups, which many described as a major factor behind recurring attacks.

Declaring the summit open, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang—represented by Deputy Governor Ngo Josephine Piyo—revealed that no fewer than 12,000 residents of Plateau State have been killed and at least 420 communities attacked between 2001 and May 2025. He described the hearing as timely, coming amid a national conversation on what he called the “unacceptable levels of insecurity” across Nigeria.

“Our state, once known as the Home of Peace and Tourism, has suffered devastating attacks that have left a trail of deaths and destruction,” he said. He highlighted the evolving patterns of insurgency and terror, which now constitute a major threat to both human and national security.

Renowned peace advocate Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam presented seven high-impact recommendations, including the decentralization and strengthening of Nigeria’s security architecture. He proposed constitutional reforms to allow national, state, local, and community policing; strengthening police training institutions; establishing state police service commissions; creating community policing oversight committees; and equipping the National Police Service with modern anti-terrorism capabilities.

In an interview after the session, Dr. Godwin Okoko, Executive Director of the BEGE Foundation, cautioned the Senate against repetitive consultations without tangible action. He supported the recent declaration of a state of emergency on security, urging the government to follow through with concrete measures.

Dr. Okoko emphasized the need to re-motivate security forces, deploy advanced technology, and address the changing dynamics of criminality. He also called for withdrawal of police personnel from VIP escorts to strengthen community-level policing.

“We hope this committee will ensure that the recommendations from this summit are backed by action. Nigerians want to see real change, not just pronouncements,” he said.