Some security experts have urged the Nigerian government to adopt peace-building measures aimed at ending ethnic profiling and stereotyping in security operations. The appeal followed a two-day conference in Abuja organised by BEACON Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL) and the Whiteink Institute for Strategy Education and Research (WISER). The event, supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under its SPRiNG programme, gathered security analysts, policymakers, civil society groups, media representatives, and diplomats. WISER's founder, Brig-Gen. Saleh Bala, and BSIL's managing director, Dr Kabir Adamu, stated that harmful narratives often link cultural identities to security threats, undermining national unity.
Discussions covered six sessions on identity-based violence, legal implications of language use, media's role in conflict narratives, and how armed groups are classified. The organisers said inaccurate terminology deepens suspicion and weakens security effectiveness. Two policy tools were developed: an Anti-ethnic Stereotyping and Profiling Toolkit and a National Policy Brief. These are intended to guide security agencies, media, and policymakers on using non-stigmatising language.
The final documents will be submitted to relevant institutions for implementation. Attendees included Dr Joseph Ochogwu, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, Yahaya Abdullahi, Abdulaziz Musa-Yar'Adua, and ambassadors from Rwanda and Angola. The UK's Conflict Adviser, Pirmah Rimdans, also attended.
Brig-Gen. Saleh Bala and Dr Kabir Adamu are pushing for language reform in security circles, but naming ethnic groups as threats has long been a convenient excuse for heavy-handed operations. If the military and media ignore the toolkit, it will join countless other policy documents that gather dust. The real test is whether agencies like the Army or NCTC will stop using broad labels like "certain tribes" in official briefings. For now, the burden remains on citizens to decode which communities will face increased scrutiny after the next attack.
