FG rolls out five-point strategy to restore peace in Sokoto

The Federal Government has unveiled a five-point strategy to tackle banditry, terrorism and illicit arms trafficking, restore peace and strengthen community resilience in Sokoto State.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this on Saturday in Sokoto at a security brainstorming session organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum (SAF).

The forum collaborated with the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, to examine strategies for addressing insecurity.

Ribadu, who was represented by Mr Zakari Usman Mijinyawa, Director of Legal Services in the Office of the NSA, outlined five priorities for tackling the security challenges.

They include intelligence-led operations, inter-agency and cross-border cooperation, community trust and early-warning systems, the restoration of agricultural livelihoods, and the prevention of criminal recruitment.

He said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, was strengthening military operations, intelligence gathering, border security and law enforcement through coordinated efforts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that these efforts involve security agencies, state governments and local communities.

Ribadu said the National Crisis Management Doctrine, being advanced by the Office of the NSA, provided a framework for coordinated action by the government and society.

On intelligence-led operations, he called for sustained security deployments around vulnerable settlements, forest corridors and border communities.

He identified State Forest Guards and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Agro-Rangers as important partners in securing vulnerable areas.

The NSA also advocated cross-border intelligence-sharing to deny criminal groups safe havens and strengthen cooperation among the armed forces, intelligence agencies, police and civil defence.

He stressed the importance of early-warning systems linking local governments, traditional rulers and communities in security hotspots, including Sabon Birni, Isa, Tangaza and Goronyo.

Ribadu urged traditional rulers, religious scholars, women and youth groups to build public trust, counter extremist narratives and misinformation, and discourage ethnic hostility.

He emphasised the need for professional policing, impartial law enforcement and respect for human rights.

The NSA identified the protection of farms, rural routes, markets, schools and health facilities as another priority, urging security planners to take agricultural calendars into account.

He said security interventions should also support the safe and voluntary return of displaced families.

Ribadu added that expanding access to education, vocational training and livelihood opportunities was essential to preventing recruitment into criminal groups.

He said any disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme must comply with the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

He stressed that reintegration must not replace justice or reward violence.

The NSA disclosed that the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons had recovered 5,449 firearms and destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons in recent nationwide operations.

He said the cumulative number of weapons destroyed since 2022 had exceeded 19,000.

Ribadu described Operation Fansan Yamma as a key framework for coordinating security operations across the North-West.

He noted that banditry in Sokoto had evolved beyond cattle rustling and kidnapping into a complex security threat with transnational links, including those associated with Lakurawa.

Earlier, SAF Chairman, Prof. Mohammad Wali, said attacks had occurred in 21 of Sokoto State’s 23 local government areas.

He added that more than 1,100 people were reportedly kidnapped in the state in the 12 months to June 2026.

Wali cited an attack in Tsamaye, Sabon Birni, in August 2026, during which at least 21 people were killed and 37 abducted.

He commended federal and state security interventions, including Operation Fansan Yamma and the state’s Community Guard Corps.

SAF Vice-Chairman, Prof. Riskuwa Shehu, cited data from SBM Intelligence documenting 4,722 abductions in 997 incidents nationwide between July 2024 and June 2025.

The Vice-Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Prof. Bashir Garba, represented by the university librarian, Dr Kudirat Abiola, said research and non-kinetic measures were essential to addressing insecurity.

She added that SAF would submit its recommendations to the government and security agencies for implementation.

( NAN)