The Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions and communities to tackle terrorism, banditry and other criminal activities in the North-West.
The DSS DG made the call in Katsina on Thursday at the second North-West Zonal Conference of State Directors of Security, organised by the DSS with the theme “Unite Against Terror”.
Ajayi, who was represented by the Chairman, North-West Forum of State Directors of Security and Kano State Director of Security, Husseini Abubakar, said the conference provided an opportunity for security stakeholders to review the evolving security situation in the region, share operational experiences and develop effective strategies to contain terrorism and banditry.
According to him, “This edition of the Northwest SDSS Conference gives us another opportunity to compare notes, share experiences, assess evolving and endemic security challenges, particularly the threat of banditry, and devise appropriate containment strategies in the effort to secure our communities.”
According to Ajayi, the DSS is also working to improve its personnel’s tactical capabilities in order to respond more effectively to emerging security threats.
He praised the existing collaboration among security and law enforcement agencies in the region, describing it as critical to community security.
“As we go into the technical session, I am optimistic and we should bear in mind that the war against terror is a task that must be accomplished,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, the Katsina State Director of Security, Alhassan Iliyasu, said the meeting was aimed at enhancing intelligence-led operations and forging a shared regional strategy against instability.
Iliyasu said the theme, “Unite Against Terror,” underscored the need for collective action, stressing that securing communities could not be left solely to security agencies.
“By uniting against terror, it involves everybody, not only the security agencies but the entire society,” he said.
He stated that Katsina State had implemented a community-based security strategy that included the government, security agencies, community watch structures, and vigilante groups in response to security threats.
“If you observe in Katsina State, that theme, ‘Unite Against Terror’, is no longer news because we live as one family. At any point in time, however late the day is, whoever you call among the action agencies, we are responding,” Iliyasu said.
He stated that the conference would allow attendees to objectively assess security concerns in the Northwest, review existing solutions, and devise new techniques against banditry and other criminal activities.
Iliyasu stated that a statement would be produced at the conclusion of the discussions to serve as a road map for coordinated security responses throughout the region.
“At the end of the day, after brainstorming, we will come up with a communique, and the communique will be like a roadmap that will be used or considered for effective countermeasures against banditry and related criminal organisations or criminal activities in the entire North-West,” he said.
He also called for greater community participation in intelligence gathering, urging residents to report suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.
“Nobody should be left behind, because it is our civic responsibility to see something and say something, to hear something and review and report,” he said.
