2027 :Kukah Centre, UDUS partner on research into legal framework of local security outfits

By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto

SOKOTO:–The Kukah Centre for Leadership and Faith has entered into a strategic research partnership with the Centre for Peace Studies (CPS), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), to examine the legal, operational and governance frameworks guiding non-conventional security outfits established to protect rural communities across Nigeria.

The partnership, sealed through a formal agreement signing in Sokoto, will focus on in-depth research into the legality, funding sources, legitimacy, accountability structures and support networks of locally recruited security outfits created by state actors to address growing insecurity, particularly in rural areas.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director of the Centre for Peace Studies, Professor Uthman Abdulkadir, said the Centre was established in 2007 as a non-governmental and non-profit research institution committed to producing quality, policy-relevant research that contributes to peace building and national development.

Professor Abdulkadir explained that the collaboration with the Kukah Centre would generate evidence-based research on the legal framework governing local security recruitment by state governments, their operational limitations, funding mechanisms and institutional support systems.

According to him, the study will also examine issues of ethnic profiling, legitimacy and grey areas of concern surrounding the proliferation of non-state and quasi-state security actors, with a view to identifying gaps and proposing practical pathways forward.

He noted that community policing and local security initiatives have become increasingly topical, particularly as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, when concerns over election security and post-election stability are expected to dominate public discourse.

“Many Nigerians are already questioning whether these local security outfits can provide adequate, impartial and lawful security during electioneering and in the post-election period,” Professor Abdulkadir said.

In his remarks, the Project Manager at the Kukah Centre for Leadership and Faith, Mr. Bamber Terseer, said the initiative aligns with the Centre’s broader commitment to strengthening community security systems for accountable service delivery, peace building and national resilience.

Mr. Terseer disclosed that the project is being implemented with the support of the United Kingdom’s international development partners, including SPRING and Tetra Tech, and is aimed at improving the effectiveness of local security outfits ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the research would provide policy direction and practical pathways for peace by engaging critical stakeholders on key security issues that could impact electoral processes and social cohesion nationwide.

According to him, the Kukah Centre is committed to creating a peaceful environment where citizens can safely exercise their civic responsibilities without fear or intimidation.

Mr. Terseer added that the research is scheduled to commence on February 2, immediately after the signing of the agreement, to ensure timely outcomes that can inform policy decisions well ahead of the 2027 polls.

“For The Kukah center , the engagement reinforced it’s Good Governance and knowledge promotion thematic area particularly efforts aimed at improving community security initiatives and fostering active citizen participation in governance” says the project manager.

He explained that the project will conduct conflict and situational analyses in Benue, Kaduna and Sokoto states, examining the legal contexts in which local security outfits operate, identifying gaps and limitations, and offering frameworks that state governments can adopt to support best practices and sustainable operations.

The project, he said, will also provide platforms for inclusive stakeholder engagement, allowing community leaders, policymakers, civil society actors and security experts to review draft best practice frameworks and ensure they are locally acceptable and context-appropriate.

Contributing to the discussion, a member of the research team, Professor Tukur Baba, traced the emergence and polarization of local security outfits to long standing conflicts, particularly farmers–herders disputes, which fractured previously coexisting communities.

Professor Baba cautioned against ethnic or tribal profiling of crime, stressing that criminality does not belong to any ethnic nationality or social group.

“There is no justification for associating crime with any tribe or ethnicity,” he said, emphasizing the need to first understand the evolving dynamics of crime before formulating security responses.

He noted that objective research and inclusive dialogue remain critical to addressing insecurity without deepening social divisions, especially in a politically sensitive pre-election period.

The partnership between the Kukah Centre and the Centre for Peace Studies is expected to contribute significantly to national conversations on security sector reform, community policing and democratic stability as Nigeria moves toward the 2027 general elections.