NIGERIAN SECURITY CHIEFS LAUNCH ANTI-ETHNIC PROFILING INITIATIVE AHEAD OF 2027 ELECTIONS
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Top Nigerian security experts from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL) and the Whiteink Institute for Strategy Education and Research (WISER) concluded a high-level, two-day conference at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja, calling out ethnic profiling as a major threat to national unity.
The event, supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (UK-FCDO) SPRiNG programme, brought together key figures including Maj. Gen. A.G. Laka (National Coordinator, NCTC), Ministers Mohammed Idris and Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, Senate security committee chairs Senators Yahaya Abdullahi and Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua, and diplomats from Rwanda and Angola.
At the closing session, WISER Founder Brig. Gen. Saleh Bala and BSIL Managing Director Dr. Kabir Adamu emphasized the urgent need to challenge harmful security narratives that unfairly link cultural identities with threats. They stressed that language shapes public trust and either fosters unity or deepens division.
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The conference produced two key outcomes: an Anti-Ethnic Stereotyping and Profiling Toolkit and a National Policy Brief, designed to guide security agencies, media, and policymakers in adopting non-stigmatizing, effective communication. Dr. Adamu described the initiative as a crucial step toward inclusive security, while Brig. Gen. Bala urged governments, civil society, and regional bodies to implement the recommendations ahead of the 2027 elections.
Participants explored the roots of identity-based violence, the dangers of misleading terminology, and the media’s role in escalating conflicts. The toolkit and policy brief aim to establish practical, actionable frameworks to strengthen trust, promote peacebuilding, and guide operational communication across Nigeria and the wider West African region.
The conference benefited from strong institutional support from the NCTC, the Ministry of Information, and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), underlining a zero-tolerance approach to rhetoric that undermines cohesion.
Attendees included Maj. Gen. A.G. Laka (NCTC), Ministers Mohammed Idris and Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, COAS Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, Senators Yahaya Abdullahi and Abdulaziz Musa Yaradua, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu (Director General, IPCR), Rwandan Ambassador H.E. Moses Rugema, Angolan Ambassador H.E. Dr. Jose Bamoquina Zau, and UKHC SPRING team leader Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo.
This initiative positions Nigeria to adopt a people-centered, inclusive security framework while equipping policymakers and security personnel with tools to communicate responsibly, curb ethnic stereotyping, and reinforce national unity.
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