Uba Sani: Modern security management must prioritise community engagement, counter-narrative strategies

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, says intelligence collaboration remains the most effective tool for addressing security threats in the North-west region and other parts of Nigeria. 

The governor spoke in Kaduna on Thursday while declaring open a conference of state directors of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the north-west.

Represented by Sule Shuaibu, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, the governor noted the crucial role the DSS has been playing in safeguarding democracy by pre-empting threats across the country.

He said the conference was an opportunity for reflection, coordination, and strategic renewal for the DSS in the region.

Sani said that his administration has consistently prioritised intelligence-driven approaches by partnering closely with the DSS and other security agencies to detect and disrupt threats like violent extremism, sabotage and misinformation.

He called for greater investment in analytical capacity, inter-agency trust, and technology-driven intelligence systems.

The governor urged security heads to embrace non-kinetic methods of peacebuilding, including community engagement, preventive diplomacy, and counter-narrative strategies.

“Modern security management requires more than traditional intelligence gathering,” he said.

“Peace must be pursued through justice, development, and inclusion.”

Ahmed Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau, commended the DSS for its cooperation with traditional institutions in addressing community disputes and security threats.

He said through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms facilitated with DSS support, the Zazzau emirate has successfully decongested its courts by over 2,000 cases in two years.

The monarch praised the agency for the vetting of district and village heads, noting that the process has helped identify and remove unfit traditional officials.

Hakeem Abiola, Kaduna state director of the DSS, said the zonal meeting was convened to review operational challenges and improve synergy among security formations across the north-west zone.

Abiola noted that the DSS, under the leadership of Oluwatosin Ajayi, its director-general (DG), has implemented several kinetic and non-kinetic operations, including community-based peace initiatives.

He stated that the service has collaborated with traditional rulers, religious leaders, and civil society organisations (CSOs), which, according to him, has been central to sustaining peace in Kaduna.

“Through regular engagements with JNI, CAN, and community leaders, we have been able to resolve sensitive disputes before they escalate,” he said.

Abiola noted that the peace model in the state has “significantly” reduced kidnapping and banditry along the Kaduna–Abuja, Kaduna–Kachia, and Birnin Gwari highways.

He added that the DSS, in collaboration with other agencies, has intercepted arms shipments, rescued kidnapped victims, and foiled terror plots across the region, with many of the operations carried out discreetly.

Abiola further called for the creation of a regional security forum involving security chiefs, traditional rulers, and political leaders to confront cross-border crimes and terrorism.

“As threats evolve, our capacity and tools must evolve too,” he said.

The conference was also attended by representatives from the neighbouring federal capital territory (FCT), Niger, and Plateau states.