The Nigerian Bar Association’s First Vice President and Chairman of the Human Rights Institute, Sabastine Anyia,in a passionate and reflective address at the just concluded NBA North-Central Security Summit in Makurdi, has called for an urgent Reforms to Strengthen Security and Justice.
He made this call on Tuesday, 29th July, 2025 when he delivered a powerful keynote titled “Strengthening Security, Rule of Law, and Justice Delivery in North-Central Nigeria.”
Quoting Nelson Mandela, Anyia began: “Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”
He decried the growing insecurity in Nigeria’s North-Central region, which includes Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi, and Kwara states, describing the situation as a humanitarian and justice crisis. The region, he noted, has become synonymous with farmer-herder conflicts, communal clashes, kidnappings, and banditry, which have left countless lives lost and communities displaced.
Anyia referenced the late 2023 Plateau attacks as a tragic example, labeling them “coordinated and calculated.” He argued that the state’s visible absence in rural areas, coupled with a failing justice system, has normalized violence and eroded public trust in the rule of law.
“Law enforcement remains reactive, investigations often collapse, prosecutions stall, and convictions are rare. This has created a climate of impunity,” he said.
In response to this institutional failure, he noted, communities have resorted to alternative justice systems, including traditional rulers, religious institutions, and vigilante groups. While acknowledging their importance, Anyia warned that without legal frameworks, such structures may devolve into unchecked vigilante justice, further undermining the rule of law.
To reverse this dangerous trend, the NBA Vice President outlined several reforms:
Justice sector reform, especially empowering prosecutorial bodies to operate independently and effectively.
Improved intelligence sharing among security agencies and cross-state joint operations.
Legislation to formalize community policing, with defined powers, accountability, and oversight.
Increased access to justice, including faster trial timelines to reduce pre-trial detentions and case backlogs.
Integration of traditional justice mechanisms, especially in rural communities lacking courtrooms.
Structured compensation and restorative justice in cases where prosecution is not possible.
He emphasized that rebuilding trust in the justice system must go beyond punishing offenders and should reflect a system that listens, serves, and protects the people.
“True security must be carried out in discretion,” he added, quoting Kahlil Gibran: ‘If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.’
Anyia concluded with a solemn warning and a call to action:
“If we do nothing, we risk greater violence, greater injustice, and the collapse of public trust. But if we act now – together – we can build a future of security, fairness, and lasting peace. Without security, there can be no development. Without justice, there can be no peace.”
