Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the National Security Summit in partnership with the Plateau State Government on Thursday held the North Central Zonal Public Hearing on National Security in Jos, a development many participants described as a critical turning point in Nigeria’s search for lasting security reforms.
The engagement is part of a nationwide consultation aimed at gathering expert submissions, community intelligence and lived experiences to shape a comprehensive national security reform bill expected to be presented to the National Assembly in the coming months.
Declaring the summit open, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, represented by the Deputy Governor, Josephine Piyo, said the choice of Jos was not coincidental.
He explained that the city represents both the pain of conflict and the possibility of transformation, given its history of ethno-religious crises, bandit attacks and recurring communal clashes for more than two decades.
“There could not have been a more symbolic venue for this engagement.
“Plateau State has experienced some of the most disturbing security incidents in recent years.
“This hearing presents an opportunity to review where we are and what must change,” he said.
The governor recalled the heavy toll insecurity has taken on the state, noting that between 2001 and May 2025, approximately 420 communities were attacked, nearly 12,000 people killed and thousands more displaced.
He added that many of the attacks were neither random nor isolated, but appeared coordinated and driven by economic, religious, territorial and political interests.
“Such scale, complexity and persistence demand that we ask whether governments at all levels have fulfilled their constitutional duty to ensure the security and welfare of citizens,” he said, referencing Section 14(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Abba Moro, said the public hearing was informed by the need for inclusiveness and evidence-based contributions in shaping a functional national security framework.
“This summit is not an academic exercise. It is a deliberate attempt to listen to Nigerians, to understand what is working, what has failed and what must change.
‘The inputs gathered here will guide legislative intervention, budget priorities and policy direction going forward,” he stated.
Moro noted that insecurity has become a nationwide challenge, citing insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West, farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central, militancy in the South-South and rising organised crime in urban centres.
Stakeholders including traditional rulers, civil society organisations, security experts and community leaders presented recommendations. Key proposals focused on strengthening intelligence gathering, reforming community policing structures, improving border control and deploying advanced technology in policing and national defence. Concerns were also raised about illegal mining networks, porous borders, delayed justice systems and unresolved issues around land recovery for displaced persons.
The committee will continue similar engagements across other geopolitical zones before compiling a consolidated national report and recommendations for Senate consideration.
Both the Plateau State Government and the Senate delegation expressed optimism that the outcomes of the summit will contribute to a more resilient, accountable and responsive national security structure capable of restoring public confidence and addressing emerging threats.
