Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has called for stronger joint security operations across the Northwest, insisting that criminals who reject peace and threaten innocent citizens must face the full force of the law.
Lawal made the call on Wednesday when Zamfara hosted a three-day Northwest Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Police Force at the Government House in Gusau.
The summit, themed “Appraising the Security Challenges in the Northwest Region,” was attended by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu; representatives of Northwest states; security and intelligence chiefs; traditional rulers; community leaders; and civil society organisations.
Declaring the summit open, Lawal said Zamfara was an appropriate location for the meeting because of the state’s position at the frontline of the security crisis affecting the region.
“This is significant because Zamfara remains at the frontline of the security challenges confronting the Northwest,” the governor said.
He said the crisis had gone beyond isolated criminal activities, noting that organised networks were involved in banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling across state borders.
According to him, the activities continue to threaten livelihoods, food security, education, investment and the social fabric of the region.
Lawal also identified thuggery, substance abuse and radical infiltration as emerging urban security threats requiring coordinated responses.
He stressed that criminal networks do not recognise state boundaries, making closer cooperation among states and security agencies essential.
“Our security must operate cohesively. Intelligence in Zamfara can prevent attacks elsewhere, and operations nearby can disrupt threats in Zamfara,” he said.
The governor called for real-time intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, inter-state surveillance and community policing, as well as sustained efforts to disrupt the financial and logistical networks supporting organised crime.
He urged participants to conclude the summit with practical measures capable of addressing insecurity across the region rather than another diagnosis of its challenges.
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Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, said securing the Northwest was a collective responsibility because of the region’s strategic importance to Nigeria.
“We are combining states to tackle the issue of insecurity. We have come together, we police together, we share intelligence together,” Disu said.
The IGP said the police and other security agencies had resolved to intensify the fight against criminal elements in the region.
“We have made up our minds to take the fight to these criminals. We have made up our minds to do this; that is why we summoned this summit,” he said.
Disu assured residents that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to deploy personnel, capabilities and partnerships to secure the Northwest while supporting state governments and other security agencies.
