The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, says tackling insecurity in the North West requires a coordinated regional response built around intelligence sharing, joint operations and community support.
Disu, who warned against ethnic and religious profiling, says security agencies must instead target criminal networks, their sponsors, arms suppliers, informants and facilitators.
He spoke at the 2026 Nigeria Police Force North West Security Summit in Gusau, Zamfara State.
The security threats facing Nigeria’s North West increasingly cut across state boundaries.
Banditry, kidnapping, arms proliferation, communal conflicts and farmer-herder tensions remain among the challenges confronting the region.
At this three-day summit in Gusau, the Inspector-General of Police says confronting them requires states and security agencies to work more closely together.
Disu says no security agency, government or institution can secure the region alone.
He wants stronger intelligence sharing, inter-state cooperation, coordinated operations, improved border security and effective early-warning systems.
The Inspector-General also warned against identifying criminality with particular ethnic or religious groups.
He says the focus should be on identifying and bringing to justice those directly involved in criminal networks, including their sponsors, arms suppliers, informants and facilitators.
Traditional institutions and local communities also have a role.
Disu says credible information from communities can help security agencies identify threats early and prevent attacks.
The police say intelligence-led operations will be supported by technology, rapid response, inter-agency cooperation and stronger community partnerships.
Governors, traditional rulers, security chiefs, experts, development partners and civil society representatives are among those attending the summit.
Disu wants the meeting to produce practical and measurable decisions that can strengthen security, protect vulnerable communities and restore public confidence across the North West.
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
Editor..Ada Ononye
