The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, CON, mni, on Saturday attended the North-West Zonal Security Summit organised by the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on National Security at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall in Kaduna.
Speaking at the event, the Minister restated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which places national security, unity and community resilience at the centre of government priorities. He noted that the President’s vision is to build a society anchored on shared prosperity, tolerance and mutual respect.
Badaru highlighted recent improvements in security operations, attributing the progress to stronger collaboration among security agencies. He stressed that lasting national security can only be achieved through a whole-of-society approach involving citizens, communities and state governments.
He commended state governors across the North-West for supporting security efforts through logistics, community engagement and early-warning mechanisms. According to him, their actions as Chief Security Officers have been vital in strengthening on-ground responses.
The Minister also recognized the roles of traditional rulers, women and youth groups, religious leaders and civil society organisations in promoting trust, countering misinformation and driving peace and reintegration programmes.
Badaru reaffirmed President Tinubu’s directive for the Armed Forces and other security agencies to sustain operational momentum, deepen interagency cooperation, improve intelligence sharing and step up the protection of schools and rural communities.
He praised the Senate for convening the summit, describing it as an important platform for dialogue and accountability in the security sector.
The summit drew attendance from Kaduna State Governor Senator Uba Sani, the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, representatives of other North-West governors, traditional rulers, Ulama, civil society groups and other key stakeholders.
