Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has called for stronger collaboration among security agencies and enhanced intelligence gathering as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges.
The governor made the call on Friday while receiving participants of Course 25 of the Defence Intelligence College, Abuja, during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Owerri.
Uzodimma said addressing insecurity requires seamless cooperation among security agencies and governments at all levels, stressing that safeguarding the country is a shared responsibility.
“The successes we have recorded in Imo State can largely be attributed to the smooth cooperation among security agencies. National security is not the responsibility of one agency alone,” Uzodimma said.
He attributed the security gains recorded in Imo State to effective collaboration among security agencies and sustained coordination in intelligence gathering and response.
The governor identified unemployment, infrastructure deficits and rapid population growth without corresponding economic opportunities as some of the underlying factors driving insecurity across the country.
According to him, sustained economic development remains the most effective long-term solution to Nigeria’s security challenges. He urged intelligence officers to strengthen coordination, improve information sharing and engage local communities to enhance preventive security measures.
Uzodimma also encouraged members of the delegation to interact with security agencies operating in the state and understudy Imo’s security architecture, expressing confidence that their research would produce practical recommendations for improving security management across the country.
He commended the Defence Intelligence College for exposing its participants to practical field experience and expressed optimism that the outcome of the study would assist governments in formulating more effective security strategies.
The governor also thanked the delegation for choosing Imo State for the study tour and praised security personnel for their commitment to protecting Nigeria’s unity and stability.
Nigeria continues to face diverse security challenges, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in parts of the North-West and North-Central, as well as separatist-related violence and other criminal activities in the South-East. Governments at the federal and state levels have consistently emphasised intelligence-led operations and inter-agency collaboration as critical components of efforts to improve national security.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Commodore Usman Bugaje, said the team was in Imo State to examine the role of operational intelligence in crisis prevention and national security as part of the Defence Intelligence College’s practical training programme.
Bugaje explained that participants would engage with security agencies, traditional rulers and other key stakeholders to assess the state’s security architecture. He added that the findings would be compiled into a research paper containing recommendations to strengthen security in Imo State and across Nigeria.
He said Imo was selected for the study because of what he described as the remarkable improvements in security under the Uzodimma administration.
Bugaje thanked the governor for hosting the delegation and described Imo as his “second home,” recalling his previous security assignments in the state and his contributions to peace and democratic stability.
