The Senate Ad hoc Committee on National Security on Thursday organised a public hearing on the security situation across states in the North-Central zone in Jos.

Abah Moro, the chairman of the committee, said that the public hearing was organised in tandem with the legislative agenda of the 10th Senate.

Mr Moro, who is also the Senate minority leader, said that the event would enable the lawmakers to better understand the security situation in the country.

He explained that the move stemmed from the recognition that the legislative process was inherently inclusive and geared toward collective decision-making for the common good.

“Today’s engagement serves as an instrument for broad consultation, designed to gather diverse views and perspectives on the complex security challenges confronting our nation. When you traverse both rural and urban landscapes across Nigeria, the evidence of insecurity is pervasive and deeply troubling.

“National news headlines are now dominated by stories of persistent insurgency in the North-East, militancy in the Niger Delta, banditry, farmer–herder clashes, communal conflicts, kidnapping, terrorism, and destruction of farmlands across the North-West, North-Central regions.

“This summit is therefore an affirmation of the seriousness with which the National Assembly approaches its constitutional mandate to safeguard lives, property, peace, and prosperity through lawmaking and other legislative interventions,” he said.

Mr Moro added that the Senate also recognised that no security architecture can succeed without understanding the local dynamics and unique community-based realities.

He further said that security challenges in the country were rooted in economic deprivation, porous borders, proliferation of arms and environmental degradation.

Other factors responsible for the rising insecurity, he said, included youth unemployment, weak governance structures, and in some cases, unresolved historical grievances.

“This summit, therefore, offers a platform for constructive deliberations geared toward developing practical and actionable solutions. We are here to listen to security experts, traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations, and those directly affected by the security challenges we seek to address.

“Be assured that the input gathered today will shape the recommendations we submit to the Senate, guiding legislative intervention, budgetary priorities and policy reforms to strengthen our national security framework in the months and years ahead.

“The resolutions from this summit are expected to support a more comprehensive and enduring national security policy,” he said.

Declaring the event open, Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the public hearing as timely.

Mr Mutfwang, who decried the rising security challenges in the region, said that more than 420 communities and 12,000 persons were killed in Plateau between 2001 and 2025.

The governor hoped that the move by the Senate would address the plights of vulnerable rural communities, particularly land grabbing, loss of livelihoods, and incessant attacks, among others.

“This initiative is a welcome development. I am confident that this initiative, among others, will contribute immensely to finding lasting solutions to this national calamity,” Mr Mutfwang said.

The governor called on all stakeholders to make meaningful submissions that would lead to lasting peace in the region. 

(NAN)