Security
Security a Shared Spiritual Responsibility, Says Obasa
Lagos Speaker Obasa links security to spiritual duty, urging faith and civic responsibility at the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni Pre-Ramadan Lecture
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Mudashiru Obasa, has described security as a collective spiritual duty, likening the pursuit of national and state safety to the spiritual journey toward Jannah (Paradise).
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In his keynote address at the 31st Pre-Ramadan Lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni, held at the J.F Ade Ajayi Main Auditorium on Sunday, 15 February 2026, Speaker Obasa emphasised that security extends beyond physical protection to include alleviating poverty, promoting transparency, fairness, compassion, and improved healthcare.
“For every desire, there must be an input. What we have to do to get to heaven is no different from what we have to do for the security of our society.
Insecurity is a function of poverty. Security is not about the police alone; it is about all of us. It is a collective spiritual duty,” Speaker Obasa said.
He further described security as an act of worship, urging citizens to protect communities, prevent oppression, and build unity.
“By integrating spiritual light with responsible leadership, believers contribute to a Nigeria where peace prevails, guiding souls collectively toward Paradise while securing the present world as a foundation for the eternal one,” he added.
Speaker Obasa praised Lagos as a melting pot of cultures and faiths, noting that the state government has fostered a safe environment through interfaith dialogues, support for religious institutions, and legislation promoting harmony.
“As Muslims, our faith calls us to be custodians of justice, peace, and good governance, and we cannot separate our spiritual obligations from our civic responsibilities,” he said.
“In governance, we must uphold transparency, fairness, and service to humanity. In the community and in the family, we must be agents of compassion, supporting the weak, feeding the hungry, and uplifting the oppressed. If we uphold these admonitions, there will be peace, prosperity, and progress in our society.”
Dr Abdulmumini Alao, National President of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni, said the theme of this year’s lecture – The Light Beyond:
Guiding Our Souls to Paradise – challenged participants to reflect on spirituality while addressing contemporary national issues.
The lecture also featured Dr Ridwan Jamiu, Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, who spoke on spiritual matters, and Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), who addressed national security concerns.
The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, was represented by Deputy Governor Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur as chairman of the event.
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Founded in 1995, the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni aims to promote brotherhood, scholarship, entrepreneurship, and exemplary Islamic practices, while positively impacting the university and wider society.
Governor Dauda Lawal has emphasised that bandits who refuse peace and threaten innocent people must face the full consequences of the law.
The Zamfara State Government hosted a three-day Northwest Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Police on Wednesday at the Government House, Gusau.
The Security Summit, themed ‘Appraising the Security Challenges in the Northwest Region’, was honoured by the presence of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
The summit brought together the leadership of the Nigeria Police, representatives of the Northwest States, heads of security and intelligence agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders, and civil society organisations.
While declaring the summit open, Governor Lawal commended the Inspector-General of Police and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force for convening the summit and for choosing Zamfara State as the host.
He said, “This is significant because Zamfara remains at the frontline of the security challenges confronting the Northwest. It provides an appropriate setting for an honest assessment of our challenges and, more importantly, the development of practical solutions.
“The Northwest’s security crisis exceeds isolated crimes. Organised networks conduct banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling across borders, threatening livelihoods, food security, education, investment, and the social fabric. The summit also highlights urban threats such as thuggery, substance abuse, and radical infiltration.
“This reality demands moving beyond fragmented responses because criminal networks ignore state boundaries. Our security must operate cohesively. Intelligence in Zamfara can prevent attacks elsewhere, and operations nearby can disrupt threats in Zamfara.
“Accordingly, the Northwest needs stronger mechanisms for real-time intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, inter-state surveillance, community policing, and sustained disruption of the financial, logistical and supply networks that sustain organised crime.”
The governor added that the summit represents some of the finest operational, intelligence and strategic experience within the Nigeria Police Force and the security ecosystem.
“We must, therefore, challenge ourselves to leave Gusau not merely with another diagnosis of insecurity, but with actionable options.
“I urge this summit to consider practical measures to cut off criminal networks’ supply chains and limit their movement. Criminal enterprises rely on logistics including routes, markets, intermediaries, financiers, and networks.
“We must confront operational questions: How do we disrupt supply chains? How do we limit criminals’ mobility across forests, communities, and borders? How do we strengthen control over vulnerable corridors without harming legitimate commerce? And how do we identify and dismantle networks of informants and facilitators enabling crime?”
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, said that the security of the Northwest is a collective responsibility because the region is of enormous importance to Nigeria.
“We are combining states to tackle the issue of insecurity. We have come together, we police together, we share intelligence together. We have made up our minds to take the fight to these criminals. We have made up our minds to do this; that is why we summoned this summit.”
“As Inspector-General of Police, I assure you that the Nigeria Police Force will continue to deploy its capabilities, personnel and partnerships towards securing the region and supporting the efforts of State Governments and other security agencies. But we also recognise that policing is most effective when it is supported by the people.”
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