Stakeholders have urged all actors in Nigeria's security space to abandon ethnic profiling and stereotyping in public discourse, warning that such practices threaten national unity and effective security operations. A two-day conference held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja, organised with Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL), brought together security experts, policymakers, civil society groups, media practitioners, and diplomatic representatives. The event was co-led by Dr. Kabir Adamu and retired Brig.-Gen. Saleh Bala, President/Founder of the Whiteink Institute for Strategy Education and Research (WISER).
Participants examined how inaccurate language contributes to identity-based violence and undermines trust in security institutions. Bala and Adamu stated the conference aimed to challenge narratives that "equate specific cultural identities with threats." They stressed that language shapes public perception, noting, "The way we describe threats has real consequences. It can either promote understanding and trust or deepen division and suspicion."
Six sessions covered legal implications of terminology, media's role in conflict narratives, and operational impacts of classifying armed groups. Dr. Adamu announced the development of an Anti-ethnic Stereotyping and Profiling Toolkit and a National Policy Brief to guide security agencies, media, and policymakers. These documents will be submitted to relevant institutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Brig.-Gen. Bala called on the Federal and state governments, ECOWAS, and development partners to adopt the recommendations across subnational levels.
That retired Brig.-Gen. Saleh Bala and Dr. Kabir Adamu had to convene a conference to stop security actors from lazily tagging ethnic groups as threats exposes how deeply embedded prejudice has become in official thinking. The promise of toolkits and policy briefs sounds constructive, but without enforcement, they will join the pile of well-meaning papers that gather dust while profiling continues at checkpoints and in intelligence reports. For ordinary Nigerians, especially young men from certain regions, this means the risk of being treated as a suspect by default remains unchanged—for now.
