Four States Unite In Jos Talks To Tackle Rising Insecurity
States Seek Joint Solutions to Security Threats
A high-level dialogue involving stakeholders from Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau states has underscored the urgency of coordinated action to address rising insecurity across Nigeria’s North-Central and North-West regions.
The consultative meeting, held in Jos, was convened by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) in partnership with the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING) programme and the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency.
Call for Coordinated Approach
Director-General of OSPRE, Chris Ngwodo, stressed that Nigeria’s complex security challenges require collaboration across all levels of government.
He noted that the dialogue aimed to strengthen subnational coordination, improve early warning systems, and encourage locally driven responses to evolving threats.
“No single tier of government can address these challenges in isolation,” he said, calling for a unified framework that integrates local knowledge with national strategies.
Building Local Capacity
Ngwodo revealed that OSPRE, through its SPARCS initiative, trained over 300 participants across the North-West and North-Central regions in 2025 to detect and respond to conflict risks in real time.
The programme, supported by the United Kingdom Government, is part of broader efforts to enhance resilience and peacebuilding mechanisms.
Sustaining Partnerships for Peace
SPRING Team Lead, Ukoha Ukiwo, emphasised the need for sustained collaboration among government agencies, communities, and development partners.
He highlighted peer-learning platforms as essential tools for preventing conflicts before they escalate.
Similarly, Julie Sanda, Director-General of the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency, called for expanded partnerships to scale successful interventions and deepen their impact at the grassroots level.
