Borno Seeks Community- driven Security Framework

Special Report: Borno Seeks Community-Driven Security Framework

In a decisive move to confront the evolving security challenges in Nigeria’s North-East, Borno State has called for a strengthened, intelligence-led, and community-driven security framework.

This initiative was articulated by Professor Usman Tar, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, during the North-East Security Summit convened by the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on National Security in Maiduguri.

The summit, declared open by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum (represented by his deputy Umar Usman Kadafur), was described as a defining moment for the region. Governor Zulum emphasized that the mutating nature of insecurity demands coordinated, innovative, and region-driven interventions.

While acknowledging the significant military gains achieved over the years, he stressed that insurgency remains complex and adaptive, requiring both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches. The governor underscored that security and development are inseparable, pointing to Borno’s ongoing reconstruction of destroyed communities, resettlement of internally displaced persons, and investments in agriculture, education, and healthcare as evidence of this philosophy.

Professor Tar presented Borno’s position paper titled “The Way Forward in Tackling National Security Issues at the Local Level.” He highlighted the state’s persistent challenges, including residual insurgent cells, large-scale displacement, socio-economic vulnerabilities fueling extremist recruitment, and governance gaps in certain local government areas. He described Borno as the epicenter of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations, having endured years of humanitarian devastation, displacement, and economic disruption.

Tar outlined the state’s evolving security architecture, anchored on the Borno State Security Council, the reconfigured Ministry of Information and Internal Security, the Borno Model for deradicalisation and reintegration, the Security Trust Fund, and the hybrid network of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hunters, and vigilantes supporting conventional forces.

Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Chairman of the North-East National Security Summit, warned that insecurity across Nigeria has reached alarming proportions, worsening poverty, displacement, and social instability. He expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation in internally displaced persons camps and the rising number of widows and orphans.

Monguno attributed the persistence of insurgency to external influences, local collaborators, and the multidimensional tactics of terror groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, and bandit networks. He emphasized the need for modern security technologies, including drones, advanced intelligence tools, and information security systems, arguing that Nigeria cannot continue confronting contemporary threats with outdated equipment.

The summit’s overarching goal was to design a sustainable, multi-layered security architecture for the North-East. Stakeholders were urged to prioritize actionable intelligence sharing, enhanced border security, addressing the root causes of radicalisation, and long-term post-conflict stabilization.

The call was clear: a concrete, actionable, and time-bound roadmap must be developed to strengthen regional security and insulate communities against future threats.

This initiative reflects a broader conviction that security and development must go hand in hand.

By combining military efforts with community-driven strategies, Borno State and the wider North-East region aim to build resilience against insurgency and lay the foundation for lasting peace and stability.