The Federal Government has unveiled a five-point strategy to tackle banditry in Sokoto, strengthen community resilience and restore security across the North-West.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the strategy on Saturday at a stakeholders’ dialogue on insecurity in Sokoto.
Ribadu, represented by the Director of Legal Services, Office of the NSA, Mr Zakari Usman Mijinyawa, said the government would sustain intelligence-led operations and strengthen inter-agency cooperation.
He spoke at a brainstorming session organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum (SAF), in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
The session had the theme: “Coping with Banditry in Sokoto State: A Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue for Prevention, Containment and Community Resilience.”
Ribadu said the government was strengthening military operations, intelligence gathering, law enforcement and border security under President Bola Tinubu.
He said the National Crisis Management Doctrine, being advanced by the Office of the NSA, provided a framework for coordinated action by government institutions and society.
The NSA disclosed that the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) had recovered 5,449 firearms and destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons in recent nationwide operations.
He added that cumulative destruction of illicit weapons since 2022 had exceeded 19,000.
Ribadu said the NCCSALW and other security agencies would intensify efforts to disrupt arms-trafficking networks, trace recovered weapons and prevent firearms from reaching criminal groups.
He described Operation FANSAN YAMMA as a key framework for coordinating security operations in the North-West, adding that intelligence-sharing, logistics and cooperation with state governments and communities would be strengthened.
Ribadu said banditry in Sokoto had evolved beyond cattle rustling and kidnapping into a complex security threat with transnational dimensions.
He cited the emergence of Lakurawa, designated a terrorist group by the Federal Government, and its reported links to Sahelian extremist networks along the Nigeria-Niger border.
He said insecurity had disrupted agriculture, trade and education, while recalling the killing of the Emir of Gobir in 2024 as a reminder of the threat to traditional institutions and social cohesion.
The NSA outlined five priorities for Sokoto, including sustaining intelligence-led operations around vulnerable communities, forest corridors and border settlements.
He said the operations should be complemented by State Forest Guards and NSCDC Agro-Rangers, alongside stronger cross-border intelligence-sharing to deny criminal groups safe havens.
The second priority was improved information-sharing among the Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, police and civil defence, as well as early-warning systems linking local governments, traditional rulers and communities.
He identified Sabon Birni, Isa, Tangaza and Goronyo as areas where stronger community-based early-warning arrangements were needed.
Ribadu said the third priority was building community trust and countering extremist narratives through engagement with traditional rulers, religious scholars, women and youth groups.
He stressed the need to address grievances, counter misinformation and ethnic hostility, while ensuring professional conduct, impartial law enforcement and respect for human rights.
The fourth priority was restoring agriculture and rural livelihoods by protecting farming areas, rural routes, markets, schools and health facilities.
He said security planning should reflect agricultural calendars and support the safe and voluntary return of displaced families.
Ribadu said the fifth priority was preventing recruitment into armed groups and supporting lawful reintegration through education, skills acquisition and livelihood opportunities.
He stressed that any disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme must comply with the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, with appropriate screening and accountability.
“Reintegration must never replace justice or reward violence,” he said.
The NSA challenged participants to produce four practical outcomes: a community security and early-warning plan, a livelihood protection and recovery plan, a community partnership and accountability framework, and an implementation matrix with clear responsibilities, timelines and measurable indicators.
He said security should be measured by whether residents could sleep without fear, farmers could harvest without unlawful levies, traders could travel safely and children could attend school without threats of abduction.
Earlier, the Chairman of SAF, Amb. Prof. Mohammad Ahmad Wali, said insecurity had spread across 21 of Sokoto’s 23 local government areas.
Wali, a former senior security coordinator in the state, said more than 1,100 people were kidnapped in Sokoto in the 12 months to June 2026, making it the second most affected state nationally after Zamfara.
He cited the August 2026 attack in Tsamaye, Sabon Birni, in which at least 21 people were killed and 37 abducted.
Wali warned that armed groups were imposing illegal levies on communities and exploiting porous borders, while commending federal and state efforts to strengthen security.
He cited Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the state’s Community Guard Corps, the commissioning of security equipment worth N27.6 billion in July and the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund established by northern governors.
Similarly, the Vice-Chairman of SAF, Prof. Riskuwa Arabu Shehu, cited SBM Intelligence data documenting at least 4,722 abductions in 997 incidents nationwide between July 2024 and June 2025.
He said the incidents resulted in 762 deaths, while kidnappers demanded N48 billion in ransom and collected N2.57 billion, with the North-West accounting for more than 60 per cent of kidnapping incidents.
Shehu also said more than 580,000 people, mainly women and children, had been displaced across Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara as of February 2025.
He warned that Lakurawa represented a convergence of profit-driven banditry and ideological insurgency in the North-West.
The Vice-Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Prof. Bashir Garba, represented by the university librarian, Dr Kudirat Abiol, said the institution was committed to research and other measures to address insecurity.
Garba said peace and security could not be achieved through military action alone and commended the organisers for convening the dialogue.
The session attracted traditional rulers, security officials, government representatives, academics and civil society groups. Participants resolved that SAF would transmit the recommendations to government and security agencies for consideration and implementation.
