By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Nigerian Senate on Friday convened the South-West Zonal Security Summit in Lagos, bringing together security chiefs, government officials, civil society groups, and traditional rulers to push for homegrown security strategies, enhanced technology deployment, and the establishment of state police amid the country’ worsening security crisis.
Speaking at the summit, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, who represents Lagos East and chairs the South-West interactive hearings of the 10th Senate’s ad-hoc committee on the National Security Summit, urged Nigerians to unite against insecurity.
Abiru, who also heads the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions and the Southern Senators’ Forum, warned that rising banditry, kidnapping, and violent crimes in the South-West demand urgent intervention.
“While the South-West has not experienced terrorism at the scale seen in some regions, the surge in banditry and violent crimes is deeply troubling,” he said. “Villages and farmlands are under increasing threat, highways are becoming unsafe, and reported incursions by armed groups into parts of Kwara and Kogi signal a looming danger.”
He stressed that the zone must not be allowed to “become a sanctuary for criminality,” calling for the deployment of human, material, and technological resources to secure communities. Abiru also appealed to the media to promote unity and avoid divisive narratives in reporting national challenges.
Representing Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Dr Ayodele Ogunsan, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to strengthening security architecture. He called for a unified regional security framework, including a more integrated and technologically empowered Amotekun Corps.
“Security is not just about keeping the peace; it is about safeguarding economic survival,” he said, warning that insecurity disrupts markets, farmlands, transportation, and investment, undermining growth and prosperity.
Senator Ibrahim Jimoh (Ondo South), sponsor of the bill establishing the National Security Summit, emphasised the need for both military and civilian efforts to tackle terrorism, while Senator Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East) called for intensified collaboration across all sectors.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, noted that security threats are often local in nature and require local solutions.
Traditional rulers, led by the Alara of Ilara, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, advocated community policing, modern surveillance technology, a multi-agency joint task force, increased police recruitment, and improved funding. He also highlighted weak grassroots structures as a major setback despite increased federal collaboration with international partners.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, reiterated that state policing remains central to any sustainable security reform.
Civil society groups, women, youth representatives, and Christian and Islamic leaders echoed calls for better welfare for security personnel to enhance motivation and professionalism.
The summit concluded with a renewed commitment to pursuing people-driven, technology-backed, and locally tailored solutions to restore peace and stability across the South-West and the nation at large.
