South-East Security Summit: FG, Stakeholders Seek Unified Security Strategy, Regional Criminal Database

South-East Security Summit: FG, Stakeholders Seek Unified Security Strategy, Regional Criminal Database.

The Federal Government and key stakeholders have called for stronger regional collaboration and the creation of a shared database of criminals to tackle insecurity across the South-East, warning that individual states can no longer effectively confront increasingly coordinated security threats on their own.

The call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the maiden South-East Regional Security Summit, organised by the Federal Ministry of Defence in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-East).

The summit, held on Thursday at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia, Abia State, was themed “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthen Security and Regional Stability.”

Presenting the communiqué, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Defence on Civil-Military Relations, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole (retd.), said criminal activities now transcend state boundaries, making isolated responses by individual states inadequate.

According to the communiqué, participants agreed that no government, institution, security agency or state can effectively address prevailing security challenges without sustained regional cooperation, coordinated action and the active involvement of all stakeholders.

It stressed that security is a collective responsibility requiring the participation of the Federal, state and local governments, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, town unions, civil society organisations, the private sector, transport unions, neighbourhood associations, the media and individual citizens.

A major recommendation of the summit was the establishment of a shared regional database containing information on wanted persons, kidnappers, criminal syndicates, arms traffickers, drug dealers, stolen vehicles and other individuals or assets linked to criminal activities.

Speaking on the importance of the proposed database, Bankole said the Minister of Defence had consistently emphasised the need for a unified security data system.
“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 said.

He explained that a common database would significantly improve intelligence sharing and enable security agencies to track criminal activities seamlessly across state borders.

The summit also observed that traditional security checkpoints alone were no longer sufficient to combat increasingly mobile and technology-driven criminal networks.

It therefore recommended greater investment in modern security technologies, including drones, geospatial mapping, closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, forensic laboratories, automated vehicle identification technology, digital databases, emergency communication platforms and professionally managed surveillance infrastructure.

Participants further called for reforms to strengthen the justice system through the timely investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders, noting that effective justice delivery would enhance deterrence and restore public confidence.

On the implementation of the summit’s resolutions, Bankole disclosed that the Federal Government would establish a technical committee to harmonise recommendations emerging from similar regional security summits 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 extensively on community policing, intelligence gathering and information sharing, as well as collaborative approaches to strengthening regional security.

While acknowledging improvements in the region’s security situation, the summit noted that the South-East continues to face threats from kidnapping, armed robbery, politically motivated violence, attacks on security personnel and public infrastructure, illicit arms proliferation, cultism, drug abuse, misinformation, criminal activities within forested areas and the violent enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders.

The communiqué further emphasised that peace and security remain fundamental to economic growth, investment, industrialisation, agriculture, commerce, education, tourism and sustainable development.
It warned that persistent insecurity has continued to disrupt business activities, farming, education, healthcare services, transportation 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 underlying factors being exploited by criminal elements.

The summit commended Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, for hosting the event and expressed appreciation to all participants for their valuable 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 councils, military veterans, security experts, consultants, the private sector, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, academia and other critical stakeholders.