Stakeholders from across the Southeast gathered in Enugu on Thursday for the zonal session of the Senate’s National Security Summit, a forum designed to collect practical solutions to the region’s persistent security challenges.

The summit drew a broad mix of participants, including lawmakers, traditional rulers, leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, security agencies, local government chairmen, town unions, religious bodies, youth groups, traders, farmers, and community vigilante groups.

Opening the session, Senator Austin Akobundu, coordinator of the Southeast summit, said the Senate convened the nationwide dialogue to hear directly from citizens living with the daily realities of insecurity. He described the situation in the region as deeply troubling—marked by killings, destruction of property, abandoned farmlands, disrupted schooling, and widespread socioeconomic decline.

“Entire communities are traumatized and displaced. Poverty, hunger, and illiteracy are rising at alarming rates,” he said.

Akobundu condemned violent agitations, stressing that violence “can never be a path to self-determination,” but acknowledged that underlying issues—such as unemployment, poverty, inequity, and perceived marginalisation—must be urgently addressed to restore peace.

He commended Southeast governors for their efforts and assured that the Senate would act on recommendations emerging from the summit, including reviewing or amending laws to improve national security. He also paid tribute to security personnel on the frontlines, saying their sacrifices “will never be forgotten.”

Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, described the summit as a chance for the region to “listen, understand, and propose solutions grounded in current realities.” He stressed that sustainable security must be rooted in intelligence gathering and improved socioeconomic conditions.

“We must strengthen intelligence gathering while addressing the economic hardships that make our youth vulnerable to criminality,” he said.

Ugwu also called for renewed trust between communities, government, and security agencies, insisting that unity remains critical to combating insecurity. He identified herders-farmers clashes and open grazing as major sources of conflict in the region.

“Anything open grazing in the Southeast is against the peace of the land,” he said, urging urgent consideration of state police as a practical step toward safer communities.

“Security cannot be achieved by force alone,” he added. “Decentralised policing must be part of our national conversation.”