Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has called for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy, urging greater adoption of advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address escalating security challenges across the country.
Speaking at the Kogi Security Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday, Zulum warned that conventional security approaches are no longer sufficient to confront increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. He advocated the integration of modern surveillance systems, including drones, biometric tracking technologies, and predictive analytics to detect and prevent attacks before they occur.
“For us to address insecurity, we need to possess modern technological warfare. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are now being deployed globally to combat crime,” the governor said. Beyond technological investment, Zulum emphasised the importance of citizen participation in security management, insisting that communities must take greater responsibility in intelligence sharing and local vigilance rather than relying solely on security agencies.
He further stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without addressing the socio-economic drivers of insecurity. According to him, widespread poverty, unemployment, infrastructural decay, and environmental vulnerabilities continue to fuel recruitment into criminal groups.
“While it is critical to purchase equipment such as vehicles, MRAPs, drones and other facilities to confront insecurity, most importantly, without addressing underlying factors such as poverty, road infrastructure, agriculture, among others, insecurity will not end,” Zulum said, urging policymakers to channel part of security funding into development-focused interventions.
He added that “understanding the socio-economic and political dimensions of every crisis is very important. Increasing poverty, climate vulnerabilities, infrastructural deficit, illiteracy, among others, have to be addressed if we want security in our communities.” Reiterating the link between peace, security, and development, the governor noted that no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of instability.
“The security of lives and property is the cardinal objective of any administration. The nexus between peace and security cannot be overemphasised. It is only when there is security that there will be peace; and without peace, there will be no development,” he said. Governor Zulum was accompanied at the summit by Hon. Engr. Bukar Talba, member representing Marte, Monguno and Nganzai Federal Constituency.
