Stakeholders from across Nigeria’s security, humanitarian, civil society, and policy sectors have called for greater community participation in addressing the security needs in the country’s North-East region.
The call was made during a high-level roundtable discussion titled “Community Experiences of Insecurity in Northeast Nigeria: Shaping an Everyday Security Toolkit,” held in Abuja in collaboration with the Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA).
The event brought together practitioners working with internally displaced persons and host communities, law enforcement personnel, civil servants, civil society organisations, community leaders, researchers, and policymakers to examine how ordinary citizens experience and respond to security needs.
Delivering the keynote address, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Warwick, Dr. Akinyemi Oyawale, said sustainable security solutions must be rooted in the realities and experiences of affected communities.
“Security is not simply the absence of violence. It is also about trust, dignity, identity, and the confidence people have in institutions that are meant to protect them,” he said.
Dr. Oyawale explained that the Everyday Security Toolkit was developed from extensive research involving communities affected by the Boko Haram insurgency and counterterrorism operations across Northeast Nigeria.
According to him, the toolkit seeks to challenge conventional top-down security approaches by incorporating local knowledge, survival strategies, and community perspectives into policy and operational planning.
“The voices of affected communities are essential if security interventions are to be effective, legitimate, and sustainable,” he added.
Gender, Identity
Participants examined how gender, identity, and trust influence perceptions of safety and relationships between communities and state institutions.
They noted that women, youth, displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups often experience insecurity differently and should be actively involved in developing solutions.
Several speakers stressed the need for stronger collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve information sharing, confidence-building, and conflict prevention.
Security Recommendations
The roundtable also served as a platform for participants to test and refine recommendations contained in the Everyday Security Toolkit.
Contributors emphasized that community-centred approaches would enhance operational effectiveness and help bridge existing trust gaps between citizens and government institutions.
A participant at the event remarked, “Communities are not just victims of insecurity; they are active agents with valuable knowledge that can help shape better security outcomes.”
Organisers expressed optimism that insights generated from the discussions would contribute to more inclusive and responsive security policies capable of addressing the complex realities facing communities in Northeast Nigeria.
