Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called for the establishment of a North Central Security Committee to address the growing security challenges confronting the region.

The governor made the call on Wednesday while inaugurating the office building of the Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for the North Central Zone in Minna, the Niger State capital.

The centre was established by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Bago noted that the North Central region has been severely affected by insecurity, leading to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

He stressed the need for collaboration between the ONSA and state governments to develop effective strategies for addressing the region’s peculiar security issues.

“The North Central zone is facing unique security challenges. There is an urgent need to create a North Central Security Committee in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser to address these challenges comprehensively,” he said.

Speaking during the event, the Director General of NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Johnson Babatunde Kokuma, who represented the National Security Adviser, described the new zonal office as a strategic step in decentralizing the fight against illicit arms.

“The centre will serve as a hub for intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and community engagement in the North Central region,” Kokuma stated.

Governors of Benue, Plateau, Kogi, and Nasarawa states, who were represented at the event, acknowledged the security challenges posed by the proliferation of illegal arms and pledged to support joint efforts to combat the threat. They also lauded the federal government for locating the zonal NCCSALW office in Minna.