Tinubu Urges Monarchs to Strengthen Grassroots Security Efforts

President Bola Tinubu urged northern traditional rulers this week to strengthen grassroots security efforts, calling on monarchs to work more closely with security agencies to curb the rising wave of banditry and kidnapping affecting their communities.

The President’s appeal came as northern Nigeria continued to grapple with high-profile security incidents, including the death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar in bandit captivity in Katsina State and the NIPSS attack in Plateau. Tinubu said traditional institutions remain uniquely positioned to gather early intelligence and mediate within communities before criminal activity escalates.

Monarchs Asked to Deepen Community Surveillance

Presidential aides said Tinubu specifically asked monarchs to deepen community surveillance networks and ensure timely reporting of suspicious movements to security agencies. The appeal echoes similar calls made by the Oluwo of Iwo earlier in June, who had asked the federal government to empower traditional rulers with security votes and vehicles to improve their own surveillance capacity.

However, some northern monarchs have previously said they lack the operational resources to meet such expectations, noting that community policing requires sustained funding rather than appeals alone. Security analysts say the renewed presidential engagement with traditional institutions reflects growing recognition that military operations alone cannot resolve banditry without grassroots cooperation.

Comes Amid Wider Security Push

The appeal follows troops recovering rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices from Lakurawa terrorists in Kebbi State, and a separate operation in which forces arrested 12 suspected ISWAP collaborators and seized logistics materials in Borno. Furthermore, troops recovered weapons, explosives, and illicit drugs in joint operations across Benue and Kebbi States this week. Consequently, the federal government is pairing battlefield operations with appeals to traditional authority as part of a broader counter-insecurity strategy.