Mutfwang Seeks Joint North-Central Strategy to Tackle Insecurity

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has called for stronger intelligence-sharing and coordinated security operations among North-Central states to counter armed attacks and prevent the displacement of communities.

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has called for a coordinated security strategy across Nigeria’s North-Central region, warning that the scale and pattern of attacks in the area require a response that goes beyond isolated action by individual states.

Mutfwang made the call on Monday, August 31, 2026, while speaking as a panellist at the 2026 North Central Security Summit in Makurdi, Benue State.

The summit was organised by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central) to examine the security challenges confronting the region and consider collective responses.

Mutfwang said states in the region needed to strengthen intelligence-sharing and work more closely with security agencies to identify and disrupt the movement of armed groups across state boundaries.

He also questioned the tendency to describe violence in the region simply as farmer-herder clashes, arguing that the nature of attacks in some communities pointed to a more organised threat.

The governor described the situation as an invasion of communities and a threat to national sovereignty, particularly in cases where vulnerable residents were targeted and forced to leave their ancestral homes.

“Leaders must confront insecurity with honesty and a sense of urgency because of its effects on poverty, economic deprivation and development,” Mutfwang said.

He said the security response should also focus on tracing attackers to their sources and routes rather than relying mainly on responses after attacks have occurred.

“Security agencies must move beyond reactionary responses and trace attackers to their sources and routes,” he said.

Mutfwang raised particular concern about the movement of armed attackers into Plateau State through routes linking parts of the North-West with Taraba and Nasarawa states.

According to the governor, porous borders and difficult-to-monitor corridors were being exploited, making stronger intelligence gathering and inter-state cooperation necessary.

He urged security agencies to coordinate operations aimed at identifying and disrupting such routes, while also intensifying efforts to clear criminal elements from hideouts and prevent them from establishing permanent footholds in communities.

The governor said the security challenge also had implications for displaced residents in Plateau State. He noted that many people who had fled their communities remained unable to return because the conditions required for safe and sustainable resettlement had not been fully established.

Mutfwang further called for closer cooperation between North-Central states, military formations, the police and other security agencies, as well as neighbouring states and regions.

He argued that insecurity should be treated as a collective threat to Nigeria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty rather than as a series of isolated criminal incidents or communal disputes.

Speaking at the summit, Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd.) said the meeting was intended to give government and security stakeholders an opportunity to hear directly from communities about the threats affecting the region.

Musa said the summit was also aimed at developing a shared understanding of the challenges and practical measures for addressing them.

The defence minister described security as a collective responsibility and commended residents of the region for continuing to confront persistent challenges.

He stressed the importance of creating an environment where farmers could safely access their farms and communities, while reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening security and addressing threats to peace, livelihoods and national development.

Other dignitaries at the summit included Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume; Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia; and Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.

The governors of Kogi and Niger states were represented by delegates.