Land-grabbing, Banditry responsible for killings in North Central – Presidency

The Presidency has blamed land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining as some of the reasons insecurity and communal crisis in the North-Central region has persisted.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), Dr Abiodun Essiet, while addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Flanked by her counterparts from the North-west, South-east, and South-west zones, the SA said the violence ravaging the region was rooted in unresolved historical tensions and resource conflicts, which had been worsened by the activities of armed groups exploiting development gaps.

She said their engagement with the media focused on insecurity, and “we identified historical mistrust, land-grabbing, banditry, and illegal mining as major triggers of violence. The President has promised to strengthen peace structures and ensure our communities are safe,” she promised.

According to her, the community peace structures had been established across 121 local government areas, including 32 in Niger, 21 in Kogi, and 23 in Benue, with deployment set to begin this week in all 17 LGAs of Plateau State.

The peace structures, she explained, would bring together traditional rulers, farmers’ associations, Fulani groups, youth, and women to promote conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Essiet also linked the prevailing security situation to poor infrastructure, particularly along the Kogi–Kwara corridor, which she said had become a haven for bandits because of the road network.

She said, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed relevant ministries to take urgent steps toward improving road infrastructure in the region.

Speaking on the situation in the Northwest, Senior Special Assistant Abdullahi Tanko-Yakasai said his office was focused on reducing the region’s high number of out-of-school children.

Vulnerable children, he said, were being enrolled in primary schools and provided with uniforms, books, and learning materials. While acknowledging improved agricultural output this season.

Yakasai noted that fertiliser access remained a challenge and that the President had promised intervention and highlighted efforts to mobilise voter registration and create awareness about the new student loan scheme and ongoing tax reforms.

For the Southeast, Chioma Nweze said the region had launched a Citizens’ Assembly to deepen engagement and understanding of government policies.

She noted that renewed federal presence through ministerial appointments and major road projects had begun to restore public confidence.

“It’s been long since we saw a federal presence in the Southeast. But now, we are seeing a lot of road construction courtesy of this administration,” she said.

Nweze added that the Monday sit-at-home directive was losing traction, while the President had pledged support for youth skills acquisition and agricultural programmes across the region’s 95 local government areas.(Daily trust)