Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Mexico and High Commissioner to Canada, Iyorwuese Hagher, yesterday, criticised the Benue State government’s reported plan to establish a rehabilitation centre for bandits, saying the project was a misplaced priority
 
He accused the government of prioritising banditry over traumatised communities, calling for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the area and deploy adequate security.

Hagher spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, where he pointed out a prolonged humanitarian crisis affecting the Sankera region, comprising Katsina-Ala, Logo and Ukum council areas of the state.
 
He presented documented evidence highlighting widespread displacement, destruction of communities and civilian suffering allegedly experienced in the region for over a decade, while calling for urgent intervention at national, regional and international levels.
 
The ex-envoy noted that any initiative aimed at rehabilitating bandits without first ensuring justice for victims or facilitating the safe return of displaced persons risks legitimising criminality and politicising insecurity.
 
According to him, a sustained campaign of attacks, displacement and destruction has produced one of the most severe humanitarian crises in contemporary Africa, yet has “remained dangerously under-reported.”
 
Hagher accused the state government of denial and silence, alleging that substantial security votes were deployed to conceal the scale of suffering in affected communities, actions he said, contradict Nigeria’s obligations under international law.
 
Drawing a contrast with federal efforts, the former diplomat noted that while President Bola Tinubu’s administration was working with international partners to support victims of terrorism, the state government appeared eager to accommodate armed groups who had neither disarmed nor been reconciled with their victims. 

In a related development, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North Central), Abiodun Essiet, has begun a three-day working visit to Kwara State, convening a Citizens’ Assembly and holding high-level security consultations as part of efforts to deepen inclusive governance and strengthen grassroots-security collaboration.
 
The visit, which began in Ilorin on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, is designed to reinforce the interface between the Federal Government and communities in the North Central zone, with a strong focus on citizen participation, local development priorities, and community-based peacebuilding.
 
A key highlight of the engagement is a physical session of the Citizens’ Assembly, a participatory platform that brings together diverse stakeholders to provide structured feedback on government policies and interventions. 
 
Discussions at the session are expected to centre on social inclusion, delivery of palliatives, conflict mitigation, and strategies for improving public trust in governance. Security forms a major component of the visit.
 
According to her office, the engagements would explore ways to enhance community-security collaboration, improve early warning mechanisms, and promote safer environments to support sustainable development across Kwara State.
 
On the first day of her visit, Essiet paid strategic visits to the State Security Service (SSS) and the Kwara State Commissioner of Police as part of efforts to align her community outreach initiatives with security institutions.