The tide of insecurity across Nigeria’s capital and its surrounding states has once again warranted security chiefs from the six states bordering the Federal Capital Territory to converge in Abuja to map out strategies of combating crimes affecting member states.
The forum, which brought together Commissioners of Police, State Directors of Security, and Commandants of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps from Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and the FCT, reviewed the worsening security situation and pledged renewed collaboration to tackle crimes spilling across their borders.
Their gathering, while welcome, raises an all-too-familiar question: will these promises be matched with decisive action, or will it end as another round of lofty rhetoric?
The security landscape of Abuja and its neighbouring states remains deeply fragile. For residents of the FCT, this fragility is no longer a matter of abstract concern; it is an everyday reality of fear, punctuated by kidnappings in satellite towns, deadly ambushes on highways in the form of one chance robbery, and the slow creep of other criminal enterprises right into the capital city.
Little wonder the Minister of ,he Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, through the FCT Head of Civil Service, Mrs. Grace Adayilo. urged the forum to “put on their thinking caps” and fashion adaptable strategies capable of confronting these crimes with urgency and innovation.
Though relative security has returned to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, that route remains a chilling example of how cross-border banditry undermines security in the FCT.
Many of these attacks are not contained within one state as criminal syndicates armed groups retreat into neighbouring forests, exploiting porous boundaries between Abuja and surrounding states.
In the same vein, cattle rustlers operating from Nasarawa and Niger routinely target rural communities on the outskirts of the FCT, before melting away across jurisdictional lines.
Over the years, the G-7 has enjoyed moments of effectiveness, such as during coordinated raids on kidnapping camps in Kaduna-Niger-Nasarawa axis, but it has too often slipped into dormancy.
The stakes today are higher than ever. Abuja is not just another Nigerian city; it is the nation’s capital, the seat of government, and the symbolic heart of national unity. When its safety is threatened, it sends a dangerous message to citizens and the international community alike that Nigeria cannot guarantee security even at its centre.
The image of kidnappers storming estates in Bwari or invading schools in Kuje is one that undermines confidence in both state and federal authorities.
Beyond symbolism, insecurity in Abuja has concrete economic and social costs. Businesses scale down investments when kidnapping and armed robbery dominate headlines. Families live under constant fear, avoiding travel by road and cutting off economic activity.
Schools in the FCT and neighbouring states have suffered repeated closures, depriving children of education and deepening a cycle of vulnerability. These realities make it imperative that the G-7 goes beyond talk.
This newspaper believes that the success of this renewed security pact will depend on three things. First is accountability.
There must be measurable benchmarks like joint patrols launched, surveillance technology deployed, safe corridors secured and timelines against which progress can be evaluated.
Second, is sustained funding and logistics. Security operations collapse when fuel runs out, allowances are delayed, or equipment is lacking.
Each of the G-7 states, including the FCT, must commit resources not only in words but in budgets. If billions can be spent on political campaigns, billions can also be committed to keeping citizens safe. Donor agencies and private partners may also be engaged, but the primary duty lies with government.
Third is intelligence sharing and community engagement. Criminal networks thrive on information gaps between jurisdictions. The FCT Police Command cannot succeed if its counterparts in Niger or Kogi are unaware of movements across their borders. The G-7 must operationalise intelligence fusion centres where real-time information can be exchanged and acted upon.
Also at the grassroots, vigilante groups and traditional rulers should be incorporated into the security architecture, as they are often the first to spot suspicious activities.
We must stress that security cannot be divorced from governance. Many of the crimes troubling the G-7 states are rooted in poverty, unemployment, and land disputes.
Military operations may bring temporary relief, but sustainable peace requires addressing the underlying drivers of violence. Investments in schools, roads, healthcare, and agriculture are as vital as investments in guns and patrol vehicles.
The FCT Minister, bears special responsibility. Abuja must not be allowed to descend into the lawlessness that has engulfed parts of the North-West. As Nigeria’s window to the world, the capital city must be defended with seriousness and urgency. This requires not only coordination with neighbours but also internal reforms including better street lighting, functional CCTV, and more visible policing within the city centre and satellite towns.
Ultimately, the G-7’s credibility rests on results. Citizens are weary of meetings and communiqués. What they demand is freedom to travel without fear, to sleep without the sound of gunfire, and to live in a capital that embodies safety and order.
The time for promises has long passed. This latest meeting must mark a turning point and not another footnote in Nigeria’s long battle with insecurity.
The G-7 was born out of the recognition that Abuja cannot be secured in isolation. That recognition remains valid today, perhaps more urgently than ever. But cooperation without execution is hollow.
If the latest meeting of 28th August is to mean anything, it must mark a turning point where adaptable strategies move from paper to the field, where collaboration is not just proclaimed but practised, and where the safety of Nigeria’s capital and its border states becomes a demonstrable reality.
