The unequivocal pledge by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III that traditional rulers and community leaders in the North are prepared to work fully with security agencies to flush terrorists and other criminal elements out of their hideouts is significant. At a time when terrorism, banditry and other forms of violent crime continue to threaten lives, livelihoods and national cohesion, such a commitment from one of the country’s most influential traditional institutions is timely and deserves replication by other traditional institutions.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 National Conference of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Abuja, the Sultan assured the Federal Government that traditional and community leaders would mobilise grassroots support to deny terrorists and criminals the safe haven they require to operate. The conference, themed: ‘Advancing Peaceful Pastoralism and Livestock Transformation for Food Security, National Unity and Shared Prosperity’, brought together security chiefs, development partners and other stakeholders.

The Sultan’s declaration should not be treated as another ceremonial statement from a traditional institution. It should translate into concrete collaboration with the security agencies and measurable action at the community level. Terrorism thrives not only on weapons and manpower but also on intelligence gaps, fear, silence and the unwillingness of communities to expose criminal elements operating among them. Traditional rulers, religious leaders and community leaders are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap.

For too long, the fight against terrorism and banditry has been treated predominantly as a military and police responsibility. That approach is inadequate. Security agencies cannot effectively combat criminals in communities where they have limited knowledge of the terrain, social relationships and networks that sustain criminal activities. Community leaders can provide intelligence, identify suspicious movements and help build the trust necessary for citizens to cooperate with the authorities.

The Sultan’s latest intervention is therefore welcome. But it also places a greater responsibility on him and other traditional rulers in the North. Public declarations of support must be followed by sustained collaboration with security agencies and communities. The Sultan should go further to encourage citizens to embrace schooling and education for the purpose of public enlightenment and as an antidote to recruitment into terrorists’ camps. The traditional institution must use its considerable influence to make it unequivocally clear that terrorism and banditry have no religious, ethnic or political justification.

In particular, the Sultan should continue to speak forcefully against attempts to romanticise or excuse terrorists and bandits as “our brothers’ or as victims whose criminal conduct should somehow be tolerated. Whatever grievances individuals or communities may have, there can be no justification for the murder of innocent citizens, kidnapping for ransom, destruction of farms and communities, or attacks on security personnel.

Terrorists should be treated as criminals and brought to justice in accordance with the law. No community, ethnic group or religious identity should provide them with protection from the consequences of their actions.

The Sultan’s intervention should also extend to the disturbing violence in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country. Fulani herders have, in some areas, become collectively associated with terrorism and banditry because of the activities of criminal elements. Such profiling is dangerous and unjust. It is important for traditional leaders, particularly those with influence within Fulani communities, to clearly distinguish between law-abiding pastoralists and criminals.

The traditional institution must condemn crimes regardless of the identity of the perpetrators or victims. It should defend the rights of innocent herders while simultaneously supporting efforts to identify and prosecute those who commit violent crimes in their names. That distinction is essential to restoring confidence among communities that have suffered years of violence and mutual suspicion.

The Sultan’s support for the Federal Government’s efforts should also provide an opportunity to confront the broader perception that influential leaders are addressing terrorism and insecurity in parts of the North with insufficient urgency. Traditional rulers cannot replace elected governments or security agencies, but neither can they remain detached from crises that are destroying the social and economic foundations of their communities.

Indeed, the Sultan should use his position to reassure Nigerians that there is no agenda to Islamise Nigeria. The persistent speculation in some quarters about such an agenda has deepened mistrust and widened the country’s already troubling religious and regional divisions. A clear and unequivocal statement from the Sultan rejecting any such agenda would help to dispel fears and reinforce the message that Nigeria belongs equally to all its citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.

Notably, the administration of President Bola Tinubu has created the Ministry of Livestock Development, which the Sultan commended at the conference. If properly managed, the ministry could help resolve some of the longstanding conflicts between pastoralists and farming communities by supporting modern livestock production, ranching, animal health services, grazing management, and other measures that reduce competition over land and water.

However, institutional reforms alone cannot end insecurity. They must be accompanied by effective policing, intelligence gathering, the prosecution of offenders, and the protection of vulnerable communities.

The Sultan’s pledge should therefore become the beginning of a new phase of cooperation between traditional institutions and the security establishment. Other traditional rulers across the country should emulate this example. They should make their communities hostile environments for terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminally-minded persons, while encouraging citizens to share credible intelligence with security agencies.

The fight against terrorism cannot be won by the government alone. It requires the active participation of communities and influential institutions. The Sultan has made an important commitment. The test now is whether that commitment will be translated into sustained action.

Nigeria needs its traditional institutions to be part of the solution. The Sultan should lead by example, and the Federal Government must provide the security agencies with the resources, intelligence capacity and institutional support required to turn this partnership into tangible results.

The ultimate objective must be clear: to make communities safe, restore public confidence, protect livelihoods and ensure that no criminal group is allowed to hold any part of the country hostage.