Abia Hosts Maiden South-east Security Summit as Leaders Identify Collaboration as Key to Regional Peace

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, hosted political leaders, security chiefs, lawmakers and other key stakeholders from across the South-East for the First South-East Security Summit, where participants agreed that closer regional cooperation is critical to tackling insecurity and sustaining peace in the region.

The First South-East Security Summit took place at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Umuahia, on Thursday.

The summit was organised by the Federal Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-East), on the theme: “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability.”

Addressing participants, Governor Otti said security remains the bedrock of development, stressing that no society can achieve meaningful progress if its people live in fear.

According to him, governments at all levels must continue to strengthen collaboration with security agencies while investing in initiatives that remove the conditions that fuel crime.

“Security is the foundation of prosperity. Until citizens are made sufficiently secure and free from the threats of criminals, no real development can happen,” Otti said.

The governor noted that although the South-East has recorded significant progress in restoring peace over the past few years, leaders must continue working together to consolidate those gains.

He said intelligence sharing, coordinated security operations and stronger partnerships among the South-East states have contributed to reclaiming communities previously threatened by criminal activities.

Otti also argued that fighting insecurity goes beyond confronting armed criminals, urging authorities to dismantle networks involved in illicit drug trafficking, illegal arms supply and other activities that sustain violent crimes.

“Whoever threatens the peace and security of this region, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, is an enemy of the people and must be dealt with according to the law,” he said.

The governor further urged residents to support security agencies with timely and credible information, insisting that criminals should never be shielded because of family or community ties.

He also identified unemployment and economic hardship as factors that often push young people into crime, calling for greater investment in education, agriculture, infrastructure and job creation as part of a long-term security strategy.

Also speaking, Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, said insecurity can only be effectively addressed through collaboration among governments, security agencies and local communities.

Akpabio described the summit as a timely initiative, saying that no institution or security agency can tackle today’s security challenges alone.

“No nation has ever secured itself through isolated efforts. Security succeeds where partnership flourishes,” he said.

He maintained that the National Assembly would continue to support efforts aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture through improved legislation, enhanced intelligence gathering, technology-driven policing and closer cooperation among security agencies.

Akpabio also called for greater community participation in security, noting that lasting peace depends on the trust and cooperation between citizens and law enforcement agencies.

In their goodwill messages, the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, represented by his Deputy, Chinyere Ekomaru, the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, represented by his Deputy, Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter  Mbah, represented by his Deputy, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Moses Odunwa, reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation against insecurity, insisting that no state can effectively tackle crime without working closely with its neighbours.

The governors commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ongoing efforts to improve national security and Governor Alex Otti, for hosting the summit, describing it as a timely platform to develop practical solutions to the region’s security challenges.

They agreed that while the South-East has recorded significant progress in restoring peace in recent years, sustaining those gains will require greater collaboration among state governments, security agencies and local communities.

In addition, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture, including the planned expansion of the Nigerian Army and recruitment of additional personnel.

Kalu also commended Governor Alex Otti, for hosting the summit and for what he described as the remarkable improvement in security across the state.

He further urged South-East states to integrate security planning into the region’s long term economic development agenda, noting that investment and industrial growth cannot flourish without peace.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, stressed that state security cannot be achieved by government and security agencies alone, calling for a “whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach.”

He reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring lasting peace and economic growth in the South-East through a combination of military operations, non-kinetic measures, infrastructure development, and educational initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

He also reaffirmed Governor Alex Otti for making Abia a peaceful and a safe state. While also applauding him for his good leadership and transformation.

“When the South-East is secure, Nigeria is stronger. When every region enjoys peace, our democracy flourishes,” he said.

Earlier, Convener of the summit and Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), said the Federal Government convened the summit to engage directly with stakeholders in the region and develop practical, community-driven solutions to insecurity.

He said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to restoring peace across the country through improved intelligence gathering, better-equipped security agencies and stronger collaboration with communities.

“Without peace, there cannot be development. That is why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to ensure that communities become active partners in our security architecture,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd.), said lasting peace in the South-East depends on effective collaboration between security agencies and local communities.

Ihejirika urged security operatives to go after those responsible for criminal acts without branding entire communities as accomplices, warning that such an approach would only discourage residents from sharing useful intelligence with law enforcement agencies.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sunday Aneke, representatives from the five South-East states, members of the National Assembly, ministers, heads of security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and development partners were present at the event.