Community Participation Critical to Fighting Insecurity in Nigeria, Says Hassan Soweto
Human rights activist and National Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign, ERC, Comrade Hassan Soweto, has called for a community-driven approach to tackling insecurity in Nigeria, arguing that local communities possess valuable knowledge that can strengthen security efforts and improve responses to kidnapping and banditry.
Soweto made the remarks during the State of the Nation Series hosted by GovernMend Nigeria on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, May 30, 2026.
The discussion, themed “Beyond the Breaking Point,” featured conversations on Nigeria’s worsening security situation, governance challenges, and socio-economic conditions. Social commentator Ayomiposi Akinade was also in attendance.
Speaking on the recent kidnapping of teachers and pupils in Oyo State and the broader security crisis across the country, Soweto emphasized the need for greater community participation in security operations, “We need to develop a communal response to insecurity that will involve members of community where this insecurity is taking place, that local hunters will be the first leg of response can actually have some impact because they have local knowledge of the topography of forest areas and what goes on there, the one which any drone and security intelligence may not know,” he said.
His comments come amid growing national debates over how best to address persistent cases of kidnapping, banditry, and violent crime across several parts of Nigeria. Discussions around community policing and the role of local security networks have intensified in recent years, with many stakeholders advocating stronger collaboration between formal security agencies and local vigilante groups.
Soweto also argued that the roots of insecurity extend beyond security failures alone, linking the rise of violent groups to deeper social and economic conditions, “That same social crisis that created the elements in the North who became easily recruited into Boko Haram and Banditry, that same social crisis has equally created the layer in the South West,” he stated.
The activist’s remarks reflect a broader argument advanced by several analysts and civil society groups that poverty, unemployment, inequality, and social exclusion have contributed significantly to the recruitment of young people into criminal and extremist networks.
The issue of community-based security responses has remained prominent in public discourse. In the South-West, the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, was partly driven by concerns over rising insecurity and calls for localized security structures. Recent debates on state policing have also resurfaced, with political leaders arguing that local security arrangements could complement federal security efforts in addressing threats more effectively.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and communal violence. Civil society organizations and security experts have repeatedly called for a combination of security reforms, economic interventions, and grassroots participation to address the underlying causes of insecurity.
The GovernMend Nigeria discussion formed part of ongoing civic conversations examining the country’s political, economic, and security realities as Nigerians continue to debate pathways toward national stability and development.
