The maiden South-East Regional Security Summit has called for the establishment of a shared regional database of criminals and stronger inter-state collaboration to combat insecurity, warning that isolated responses by individual states can no longer address the region’s evolving security threats.
The recommendation formed part of the communiqué issued at the end of 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 (South-East).
The summit was held on Thursday at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, under the theme, “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthen Security and Regional Stability”.
The communiqué, presented by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Defence on Civil-Military Relations, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole (rtd.), noted that insecurity transcended state boundaries, with criminal groups operating across neighbouring states, making isolated state-level responses inadequate.
“The summit recognised that no single government, no single institution, no single security agency or state can effectively address the prevailing security challenges without sustained regional collaboration, coordinated action and the active participation of all stakeholders”, the communiqué stated.
It added that security was a shared responsibility which requires the active involvement of the Federal, state and local governments, security agencies, traditional and religious institutions, town unions, civil society organisations, the private sector, the media, transport unions, neighbourhood associations and individual citizens.
Among its key recommendations was the development of a shared regional database containing records of wanted persons, criminal networks, kidnappers, arms traffickers, drug dealers, stolen vehicles and other persons or assets associated with criminal activities.
Emphasising the importance of the regional database initiative, Bankole said, “My minister, my principal, has been emphasizing the need for a database. We cannot operate without a database. Even if we go into technology, we all need to be on one data, so that if you are committing a crime in any group, it can be detected in Abia. You don’t just match.”
He added that a unified database would strengthen intelligence sharing and improve the capacity of security agencies to track criminals across state boundaries.
The summit also noted that security checkpoints alone were insufficient to tackle increasingly mobile and technologically enabled criminal groups.
It therefore recommended greater investment in drones, geospatial mapping, closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, forensic capabilities, automated vehicle identification technology, digital databases, emergency communication platforms and professionally managed surveillance infrastructure.
The communiqué also called for reforms to strengthen the judicial process through the timely investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders in order to enhance deterrence and reinforce public confidence in the justice system.
Speaking on the implementation of the summit’s resolutions, Bankole disclosed that the Federal Government would establish a technical team to harmonise recommendations from regional security summits being held across the country.
“Now, on the implementation and follow-up, when we go back to Abuja, the minister will set up a technical team. We are starting in the South-East; we are moving to the North-Central. We need to harmonise all these regional thoughts”, he said.
According to the communiqué, participants reviewed the security situation in the South-East and deliberated on community policing, intelligence gathering and sharing, and collaborative strategies to strengthen security and regional stability.
The summit observed that although the security situation in the region had improved appreciably, the South-East continued to face threats from kidnapping, armed robbery, politically motivated violence, attacks on security personnel and public facilities, illicit arms proliferation, cultism, drug abuse, misinformation, criminal activities within forested areas and the violent enforcement of unlawful sit-at-home directives.
The summit further observed that peace and security remained critical to economic prosperity, investment, industrialisation, agriculture, commerce, education, tourism, social stability and sustainable development, warning that persistent insecurity had disrupted commercial activities, farming, education, healthcare delivery, travel and investment while eroding public confidence.
Participants also identified unemployment, youth frustration, drug abuse, political manipulation, social exclusion, unresolved grievances and inadequate government presence as conditions exploited by criminal elements.
The summit commended the Abia State Governor , Dr aAlex Otti for hosting the summit and thanked participants for their contributions.
The Maiden South-East Regional Security Summit, brought together representatives of the Federal and state governments, security and intelligence agencies, the legislature, judiciary, traditional and religious institutions, local government authorities, veterans, security experts and consultants, as well as the private sector, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, academia and other critical stakeholders.
