Religious Leaders Can Strengthen Nigeria’s Security Through Early Warning, Human Security – Tsoken

Oru Leonard 

The National President of the APC Initiative for Good Governance (APC-IGG), Amb. Musa Muhammed Tsoken, has called for greater involvement of religious leaders in Nigeria’s peacebuilding and security architecture.

Tsoken made the call while speaking at the National Religious Leaders Peace and Security Summit (NRLPASS), chaired by former Adamawa State Governor, Barr. James Bala Ngilari.

He said religious leaders, because of their close relationship with communities, could play a critical role in preventing conflicts and detecting threats before they escalate.

According to him, “there is no security without peace, and there is no peace without justice and mutual understanding.”

Tsoken, a researcher in Human Security and Counter-Terrorism, said Nigeria’s security challenges could not be addressed through military action alone, stressing the need to combine kinetic measures with non-kinetic approaches.

He argued that genuine security must extend beyond the deployment of security personnel to include justice, economic opportunity, education, tolerance and good governance.
“Guns and boots alone cannot secure a nation. Real security is built in the Mosque, in the Church, in the Palace of our Traditional Rulers, and in our homes,” he said.

The APC-IGG president identified what he described as the manipulation of religion for political and economic interests as one of the factors capable of worsening insecurity, urging religious leaders to promote interfaith understanding and national unity.

He proposed three major measures from the summit.
First, he called for the establishment of a National Early Warning Mechanism led by religious leaders, arguing that clerics are often closer to grassroots communities and can detect emerging tensions before they become violent conflicts.
“Let us institutionalize your role,” he said, noting that religious leaders often hear community concerns before they reach security agencies.

Second, Tsoken urged religious leaders to promote human security, rather than focusing exclusively on spiritual matters.
He said religious teachings should encourage dignity of labour, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, while addressing poverty and illiteracy as factors that can contribute to insecurity.

Third, he called for continued support for the Federal Government’s security efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, while emphasizing the role of prayers, moral guidance and community engagement.

Drawing from his academic background in Human Security and Counter-Terrorism, Tsoken distinguished between negative peace, which he described as the absence of direct violence, and positive peace, which involves justice, fairness, food security, good governance and mutual respect.
“True peace is when a man can sleep without fear, farm without fear, worship without fear, and speak without fear,” he said.

Tsoken also commended the chairman of the summit, Ngilari, whom he described as a leader associated with peace, law and unity, and urged participants to use the summit to build bridges among religious communities, between different parts of the country, and between government and citizens.

He pledged the support of APC-IGG for any communique emerging from the summit, and expressed hope that its recommendations would contribute to lasting peace and security across Nigeria.

Tsoken is also the National Coordinator of the Asiwaju Again Renewed Hope Support Initiative 2027. He holds qualifications in Islamic Studies/Social Studies and Human Security and Counter-Terrorism, and is pursuing a PhD in Human Security and Counter-Terrorism.