Participants emphasised that violence in Nigeria’s Northwest and Middle Belt cannot be adequately understood through the lens of religious identity alone. Although religious differences are frequently invoked as a straightforward explanation for the violence, they often obscure the more complex and interconnected factors driving insecurity. Climate stress, competition over land and water, weak governance, criminal economies and the erosion of livelihoods interact to fuel insecurity. Religion can accelerate existing tensions but does not constitute the fundamental driver of the conflict.

For Dr. Asmau Benzies Leo, Executive Director of the Centre for Nonviolence and Gender Advocacy (CENGAIN Nigeria), this is also a question of whose voices are heard. “A conflict is not forgotten simply because the headlines move on,” she noted. It becomes forgotten when people living with its consequences are excluded from decisions shaping their future. Women and young people, she stressed, must be recognised and empowered not merely as survivors of violence, but as actors and architects of peace, resilience and Nigeria’s future.

From containment to human security

The discussion also highlighted the need to move beyond reactive, military-driven approaches to counter-terrorism and towards human security and locally rooted peacebuilding. Stronger support for civil society, traditional leaders and cross-border community mediation can help communities address insecurity and build resilience.

A key takeaway was the need to move from early warning to early action. Early warning mechanisms can only contribute to preventing violence when political actors respond with timely and meaningful measures.

The gap between attention and action was central to Dr. Oyewole Oginni’s contribution. The Senior Researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) described the situation as not forgotten but neglected: “Attention without political will cannot deliver concrete change or sustainable peace.” He called on states to do more to protect both lives and livelihoods.

The consequences of violence reach far beyond casualty figures. Armed banditry and competition over land and resources have turned everyday survival into a struggle, undermining local livelihoods and work cultures. In many rural areas, weak or absent state institutions leave communities increasingly dependent on local structures of protection, mediation and social cohesion.

Faith-based actors can play an important role in this context – not only in responding to conflict, but also in shaping fair and accountable resource governance. For Rev. Fr. Lawrence Chukwunweike Emehel, Director of the Department of Mission and Dialogue at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, this means giving religious leaders a role beyond conflict response. They “must not be reduced to pacifiers called in when governance fails”, he argued. Instead, they should be part of resource governance itself, acting as “moral vanguards” for proper implementation and equitable distribution.