The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has identified community policing as a crucial approach to addressing insecurity in different parts of the country.
The Sultan stated that enduring peace would only be possible through close cooperation between security agencies and residents of local communities.
Represented by the Chiroman Kano, Alhaji Adamu Lamido Sanusi, the Sultan made the remarks on Wednesday during the Arewa Awareness Summit on Unity Against Insecurity held at Arewa House in Kaduna.
He noted that community members, especially young people, have direct knowledge of their surroundings and should play an active role in intelligence gathering and preventing criminal activities.
“I personally believe in community policing. To fight crime, we have to work with the people,” he said.
The monarch explained that he had continually engaged imams, religious leaders, youth groups and other community stakeholders to promote peace and reinforce security within his domain.
“I personally work with the imams, religious leaders, youth groups and other community stakeholders to address the challenges in my area, working to ensure peace and security in the community,” he said.
He described intelligence gathering as an essential tool in the fight against crime, observing that residents are often more familiar with suspicious activities in their communities than outsiders.
“The people in the community, especially the youth, are already in the community. They know the community and the areas better than anyone else. You are able to gather more information through collaboration with the community and through multiple agencies working together in the community,” he said.
According to him, stronger cooperation between communities and security agencies would greatly enhance efforts to combat banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
“So, this cooperation, this working together hand in hand, is highly important in fighting crime in our communities and in the country,” he added.
The Sultan also praised the organisers of the summit, describing the initiative as a timely avenue for exchanging ideas and strengthening partnerships aimed at addressing insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
“I commend this programme. It is a very good initiative to listen to, and I hope we will continue to listen and learn more from our key speakers,” he said.
He added that he attended the summit to learn from experts and broaden his understanding of emerging security challenges.
“I am really glad to be here at this programme, and I am looking forward to learning from the key speakers. I really wish to learn from them as part of my daily job,” he said.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Arewa for Peace, Unity, Cohesion and Development Initiative (ACI), Dr Abdullahi Idris, said the summit was organised to seek practical solutions to insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
He stated that participants were expected to formulate strategies that would improve dialogue between communities and government while encouraging collective action against insecurity.
Also speaking, Prof. Mohammed Tasiu Dan Sabo, who represented Prof. Ahmad Rufai, said military operations alone could not secure lasting peace.
“There has to be a link between security, justice, governance and livelihoods,” he said, stressing that “lasting peace cannot be achieved through military operations alone.”
The one-day summit attracted traditional rulers, security agencies, religious leaders, academics, civil society organisations and youth groups to discuss practical measures for addressing insecurity across the North.
