Why insecurity is lingering in North Central —Presidential aide

By Egena Sunday Ode

Historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining are among the biggest drivers of violence across Nigeria’s North Central region, a senior presidential aide said Monday.
Senior Special Assistant ro the President on Community Engagement (North Central), Dr. Abiodun Essiet, disclosed this after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu to receive security and development briefings from his Community Engagement team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Accordibg to her, the delegation presented a unified assessment of security pressures, infrastructure gaps, and public response to government policies across the geopolitical zones.
She said insecurity in the North Central remains deeply rooted in unresolved historical tensions and resource conflicts.
“Our briefing focused heavily on insecurity, and we identified historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining as major triggers of violence. The President has promised to strengthen peace structures and ensure our communities are safe,” Essiet said.
She disclosed that community peace structures have been set up across 121 local governments, including 32 in Niger, 21 in Kogi, and 23 in Benue, with deployment scheduled this week in all 17 LGAs of Plateau State.
The structures, she explained, will involve traditional rulers, farmers’ associations, Fulani groups, youth, and women.
Essiet also linked the worsening security situation to poor road networks, particularly along the Kogi-Kwara corridor, which she said bandits were exploiting.
She noted that the President had promised to liaise with relevant ministries to address the issue.
In her report, the Special Assistant for the Southeast, Barr. Chioma Nweze, said the zone had “hit the ground running” with the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly to enhance community engagement and deepen understanding of government policies.
She said increased ministerial appointments and new road projects were restoring confidence that the Federal Government was present in the region.
“It’s been long since we saw federal presence in the Southeast. But now, we are seeing a lot of road construction courtesy of this administration,” Nweze said.
She also noted that the long-running Monday sit-at-home directive was gradually easing and that the President had pledged support for skills development and agricultural programmes across the region’s 95 LGAs.
For the Northwest, Abdullahi Tanko-Yakassai said his briefing focused on reducing the region’s high number of out-of-school children.
He said his office had enrolled many vulnerable children in primary schools and provided uniforms, books, and learning materials.
He noted improved agricultural output this season, though access to fertiliser remained a challenge, and said the President had promised intervention.
Yakassai added that voter registration mobilisation was ongoing alongside public sensitisation on the student loan scheme and tax reforms.
“We are the bridge between the Federal Government and the grassroots,” he said.
From the Southwest, Omoremi Ojudu described the discussions as “insightful,” saying the President emphasised the need to expand enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) as a foundation for lifelong identification.
She said the engagement team would intensify grassroots sensitisation to deepen understanding of the Renewed Hope Agenda and support peacebuilding across communities.
“We owe it to ourselves to safeguard this country. We have nowhere else to go,” Ojudu said.
She added that the President instructed the team to work closely with key actors on livestock reforms in the North Central.
Representatives for the South-South and North-East zones were absent due to other official engagements.
The Presidential Community Engagement Team was created to drive grassroots mobilisation and provide real-time feedback to the Presidency on policy implementation across the federation.
Monday’s briefing forms part of routine consultations with the President.