Insecurity: Experts seek regional cooperation to tackle insurgency, trafficking, others

Security experts and other stakeholders have called for regional and holistic strategy and cooperation that Nigeria and some other West African countries are approaching a dangerous tipping point, due to violent conflicts, military coups, and community-level insecurity continue to spread across the sub-region. They spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2025 West Africa Peace […]

Security experts and other stakeholders have called for regional and holistic strategy and cooperation that Nigeria and some other West African countries are approaching a dangerous tipping point, due to violent conflicts, military coups, and community-level insecurity continue to spread across the sub-region.

They spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2025 West Africa Peace and Security Dialogue (WaPSeD), organised by the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and the Society for Peace Studies and Practice.

They warned that unless immediate steps are taken to strengthen local governance, restore public trust, and rebuild regional solidarity, the region risks deeper instability and humanitarian collapse.

Delivering the keynote, a lecturer at the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies and Tetfund Centre of Excellence in Security Management at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert, said insurgency, arms trafficking, human smuggling and the spread of extremist ideologies across boarders, are overwhelming national law enforcement capacities.

Prof. Albert, represented by Prof. Benjamin Adeniran Aluko of the same University, noted that while governments continue to prioritise military deployment, fragile governance systems, weak intelligence networks, and deep social inequality have allowed extremist recruiters to exploit local grievances easily.

Key armed groups like ISIS-West Africa (formerly Boko Haram), Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) operate extensively, using tactics including ambushes, roadside bombs, kidnappings, drone and air strikes, and attacks on military and civilian targets.

“The crisis is fueled by fragile state institutions, socio-political volatility, governance failures, weak regional coordination, limited intelligence sharing, and the expansion of criminal-terrorist networks.

“Without credible accountability mechanisms and holistic civilian-protection strategies, the security situation risks further escalation and regional spillover, deepening instability and humanitarian crises across West Africa,” he said.

Earlier, the Executive Director, BBFORPEACE/Regional Coordinator, GPPAC West Africa, Rafiu Adeniran Lawal, said that this years’ WAPSED is a collaborative initiative, with the theme, “Reimagining Peace and Security in West Africa: Local Solutions, Regional Solidarity and Global Partnerships”, reflects commitment to bottom-up, locally driven strategies.

He said the platform offers practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders in peacebuilding, security, conflict resolution, and development a timely opportunity to assess and respond to the evolving challenges in the region.

“This dialogue could not be more urgent. Across West Africa, we face a complex web of threats undermining peace, stability, and development.

“In Nigeria, persister herder-farmer clashes, banditry, and violent extremism-especially the enduring Bok Haram insurgency-have destabilized the north-central, north-west, and north-east regions.

“These conflicts have triggered ripple effects nationwide, including insecurity and inflation, as farmers are unable to access their lands. Public resource that should fuel development are increasingly diverted to address these crises.

“Beyond Nigeria, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo grapple with inters conflicts, transborder crimes, and violent extremism. The recent wave unconstitutional government takeovers in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea signal troubling democratic retreat.

“This erosion of democratic norms has fueled pul disillusionment, particularly regarding the economic and social dividends governance. Election-related tensions currently ongoing in Cote Ivoire. A widespread protest over economic hardships have occurred in a number of countries in the last few years,” Lawal said.

Also, Director-General, IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, said the Federal Government is dedicated to promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention in Nigeria and Africa.

He said IPCR believes that sustainable peace in West Africa requires inclusive dialogue, strong regional cooperation, and locally driven solutions.

He said, “We must continue to strengthen the capacity of our institutions, empower communities, and integrate peace education into national development frameworks.”