The National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the German Government have called for a comprehensive crackdown on the networks financing banditry and insurgency, warning that the violence cannot be tackled by military operations alone.
They made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a policy roundtable on preventing the expansion of insurgency in North-West and North-Central Nigeria.
The roundtable was organised by the NCTC in collaboration with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC), with support from the German Federal Foreign Office.
The National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said armed groups, bandit networks and other violent non-state actors continued to cause deaths, displacement and loss of livelihoods.
He said their activities also disrupted governance, education, agriculture and social cohesion across affected communities.
Laka warned that the growing links between criminal networks, insurgents and violent extremist groups could deepen recruitment by exploiting poverty, unemployment, grievances and governance gaps.
“These realities require comprehensive, context-specific responses,” he said.
He stressed that military and law enforcement operations must be complemented by effective governance, community engagement, strategic communication, preventive measures and credible rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
The coordinator said the roundtable was expected to deepen understanding of the factors driving armed group expansion, including land disputes, economic vulnerabilities, coercion, revenge, illicit financing and weak governance.
He urged participants to develop practical recommendations with clearly identified responsible institutions and realistic implementation plans.
Also speaking, Germany’s Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Johannes Lehne, said efforts to curb banditry must extend beyond remote forests to the urban networks that facilitate ransom payments and other financial transactions.
Lehne said ransom proceeds and weapons acquired by bandits were not confined to forest hideouts, stressing that ransom collection involved intermediaries operating across society.
He also identified social media activities, disinformation, misinformation and the evolving relationship between banditry and jihadist insurgency as challenges requiring greater attention.
The German envoy called for a holistic approach that addressed the needs of border communities, particularly those lacking internet access, good roads and other essential infrastructure.
Similarly, the African Union (AU) representative, Ms Jocelyn Nahimana, said insurgent and other non-state armed groups posed a serious threat to Nigeria, West Africa and the wider continent.
Nahimana said sustainable solutions required stronger civilian protection, trust between communities and security institutions, action against recruitment drivers and credible pathways for disengagement and reintegration.
She disclosed that the AU was advancing a Continental Strategic Plan of Action on Countering Terrorism in Africa for 2026 to 2030.
According to her, the plan will provide a common framework for member states, with priorities including intelligence sharing and disruption of terrorist financing.
She added that the commission was developing a continental framework on non-state armed groups to improve understanding of their activities and dynamics.
“The AU will hold consultation for West Africa in November,” she said.
Earlier, Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Idris Gobir, said the state government had spent billions of naira on security infrastructure between January and August 2026.
Gobir said the expenditure covered the provision of vehicles and military hardware, adding that the state participated in the roundtable to generate ideas for promoting peace and security.
The roundtable, titled “Breaking Patterns of Armed Violence: Preventing Recruitment and Supporting Exit of Armed Groups in Africa,” brought together stakeholders to examine the drivers of violence and identify practical approaches to prevention and disengagement.
Laka expressed appreciation to the German Government, the AU, the United Nations, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and other partners for supporting the initiative. (NAN)
