From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, on Monday expressed deep concern over the persistent political rift between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, saying the two leaders must close ranks to give peace a chance in the North-Central region of Nigeria.
He further said that criminal elements often exploit disagreements among political leaders to perpetrate their activities and urged governors and political leaders in the region to resolve their differences in the interest of peace and security.
The governor made the remarks at the 2026 North-Central Regional Security Summit held at the New Banquet Hall, Government House, Makurdi, Benue State, on Monday.
The summit, convened by the Federal Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), had the theme: “Collaborative Approach to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability.”
Governor Sule emphasised the need for mutual respect between elders and those in authority, noting that such respect is fundamental to building the trust required for effective collaboration across state boundaries.
He noted that the political differences had continued to create opportunities for militants to carry out their nefarious activities, stressing the need for stronger collaboration among the North-Central states and security agencies.
He identified the politicisation of security challenges as a major obstacle to lasting peace in the North-Central region, calling on leaders at all levels to separate governance from politics in order to achieve sustainable solutions.
Governor Sule stressed the need for stakeholders to separate politics from insecurity or risk the zone continuing to move in circles, adding: “We must develop trust between Benue and Nasarawa states.”
He recounted his personal experience in 2019 when he reached out to the then Governor of Benue State, despite political differences, to establish a working relationship between Nasarawa and Benue states, noting that the collaboration helped reduce security challenges between the two states until 2023, when the problems resurfaced.
“I recall that my predecessor, Tanko Al-Makura, in the twilight of his administration, was not on good terms with Governor Ortom. But when I came on board, I cultivated a good relationship with him. I visited him and we held peace meetings at Yelewata.
“Following that relationship, the attacks reduced drastically from 2019 to 2023 until Governor Alia assumed office and it heightened again.
“I will be stupid to accommodate militants that would attack Benue State or any North-Central state. We must build trust and share intelligence.
“We now have more resources. We should deploy them to support security agencies to acquire technological gadgets, as no amount of money is too much to secure the lives of the people,” Governor Sule said.
According to the governor, while various presentations at the summit adequately addressed several dimensions of the security challenges facing the region, the critical issue of politics had been conspicuously overlooked.
He stressed that until leaders find a way to separate governance from politics, the region would continue to go in circles without achieving lasting solutions.
He maintained that sustainable solutions to the region’s security challenges can only be achieved when political leaders set aside their differences and work collectively towards common goals.
On his part, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang frowned at the mischaracterisation of attacks on farmers as herders-farmers clashes, insisting that they are invasions by the former against the latter.
Governor Mutfwang said every state has its own security peculiarity and should put in place a framework to tackle it, positing that there must be truthfulness and honesty as banditry, kidnapping, and herder attacks continue to constitute national security threats.
He said: “We must trace them to their hideouts and stop them. We are too reactionary and our borders are porous.
“We should establish structured community networks within localities, which should be armed as the first line of defence.”
Also speaking at the event, former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen, advocated the establishment of a North-Central Border Coordination Committee.
She maintained that collaboration, sincerity, and political will are needed from leaders to stem the high rate of insecurity in the North-Central region.
