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Julius Arabo, the State Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Plateau State, Nigeria, has issued a stinging critique of the performance of security agencies.
Speaking at News Central TV’s Town Hall on Thursday, Arabo argued that a sluggish “attitude and approach” toward crisis management remains the state’s greatest hurdle.
He revealed that even when security forces receive credible, early intelligence regarding potential attacks, they frequently fail to mobilise in time to prevent violence, leaving vulnerable communities to face the consequences.
The human and economic toll of these delays is reaching a breaking point for the agrarian state.
Arabo highlighted that the persistent insecurity has effectively barred farmers from their lands, stifling the primary engine of the local economy.
Beyond agriculture, he noted that the “progress of our people” is being systematically eroded as community schools remain closed and villages are abandoned, leading to a long-term educational deficit for the region’s youth.
“One of the major changes that we need to see is the response of security. They don’t respond in time, even when there is credible information.”
Julius Arabo, State Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (@CANmedia_) in Plateau State, says delayed and ineffective… pic.twitter.com/GOYpH9wBvx
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) May 7, 2026
Plateau State has been at the heart of Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” conflict, where decades of disputes between pastoralists and farmers have been exacerbated by climate change and land scarcity.
While the state government has recently claimed improvements in peacebuilding, Arabo’s testimony suggests a significant disconnect between official narratives and the reality on the ground.
His call for a radical shift in security responsiveness underscores the urgent need for a strategy that prioritises rapid intervention to protect both the lives and the livelihoods of the Plateau people.
