The British High Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s legislative frameworks to ensure funding, transparency and respect for human rights in the country’s security sector.
The commission’s Head of Development Cooperation, Ms Cynthia Rowe, stated this at a roundtable on national security at the ongoing 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.
Rowe said that the UK Government, through its Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme, welcomed the initiative.
According to her, sustainable security requires strong and accountable institutions that are responsive to the needs of the people.
“The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s legislative frameworks to ensure that security interventions are transparent, well-resourced and firmly rooted in respect for human rights,” she said.
Rowe commended the roundtable, describing it as a step toward codifying reforms that would protect vulnerable communities and foster long-term stability.
She said that the roundtable’s discussion areas perfectly aligned with the SPRiNG programme’s security sector reform objectives.
Rowe said that it addressed pressing issues such as banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts.
She added that that it also explored critical need for inter-agency collaboration, technology and innovation in security operations and 21st-century community engagement.
In his remarks, the Team Leader of the SPRiNG programme, Mr Ukoha Ukiwo, underscored the importance of a legislative framework in ensuring transparency.
Ukiwo said that programmes’ interventions across states continually highlighted that operational peace-building must be backed by robust legal frameworks.
“The focus of this roundtable on state policing, security funding and accountability is incredibly timely.
“By bridging the gap between grassroots realities and legislative action, we can ensure that informal and formal security architectures work cohesively to build formidable resilience in communities across Nigeria,” he said.
Ukiwo said that the SPRiNG programme stood ready to support follow-up engagements with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the resolutions from the dialogue were actively implemented. (NAN)
