National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has identified five key areas requiring urgent attention to address banditry in Sokoto State, stressing that military operations alone cannot resolve the security crisis.
Ribadu called for improved intelligence-sharing, stronger border management, community participation, protection of rural livelihoods and measures to prevent young people from joining criminal groups.
He made the recommendations at a security brainstorming session organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, on Saturday.
He was represented at the event by Zakari Mijinyawa, Director of Legal Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The NSA warned that armed groups operating in Sokoto had moved beyond cattle rustling, highway robbery and kidnapping to activities including territorial control, illegal taxation of rural residents and disruption of economic activities.
He identified the state’s proximity to the Republic of Niger and the wider Sahel region as a major security challenge, noting that criminal groups exploit porous borders and gaps in security arrangements to sustain their operations.
“Sokoto’s proximity to the Republic of Niger and the wider Sahel adds a significant cross-border dimension to this challenge,” he said.
To address the threat, Ribadu advocated intelligence-driven security operations, stronger border controls and closer cooperation among countries in the region. He also called for measures to disrupt the supply of illegal weapons and other logistical support to armed groups.
The NSA further urged authorities to tackle the economic and social difficulties that make young people vulnerable to recruitment by criminal networks.
He supported lawful rehabilitation programmes for eligible individuals willing to renounce violence but cautioned that such initiatives must not undermine justice or accountability.
“Reintegration must never replace justice or reward violence,” Ribadu said.
The five priority areas he outlined include denying armed groups safe havens, strengthening intelligence and early-warning systems, building public trust in security agencies, safeguarding agriculture and rural livelihoods, and preventing the recruitment of youths into criminal networks.
Ribadu specifically named Sabon Birni, Isa, Tangaza and Goronyo as areas where early-warning systems should be strengthened to ensure that reports of suspicious movements and emerging threats reach security agencies promptly.
He said community members would be more inclined to share credible intelligence if they had confidence that security agencies would respond effectively and protect sensitive information.
Ribadu also warned that continued insecurity was undermining farming, trade and children’s education, worsening the economic difficulties experienced by affected communities.
He argued that the success of security operations should not be judged only by the number of arrests, weapons recovered or territories cleared.
Instead, he said, security efforts should be assessed by their impact on people’s daily lives and the restoration of normal activities in affected areas.
“Success must also mean safer communities, returning families, productive farms, reopened schools, functioning markets and the restoration of public confidence,” he said.