Mr Kabiru Adamu
Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL), in collaboration with the Whiteink
Institute for Strategy Education and Research (WISER), has concluded a two-day high-
level conference to address ethnic profiling and stereotyping in security discourse and
operations across West Africa.
The conference, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National
Security Adviser, Abuja, from 1-2 April, brought together security experts,
policymakers, civil society organisations, media practitioners, and members of the
diplomatic community to examine the risks posed by the misuse of language in security
and public communication.
Speaking at the close of the conference, Founder and President of WISER, Brig. Gen.
Saleh Bala and the Managing Director of BSIL, Dr. Kabir Adamu, jointly stated that the
initiative was designed to confront harmful narratives that undermine national unity
and effective security operations. “Flawed narratives and lazy categorisations often
equate specific cultural identities with threats. This conference is a deliberate effort to
correct that by promoting accurate, responsible, and context-based use of language
in both security operations and public discourse,” they said.
Brig. Gen. Bala and Dr. Adamu noted that the discussions, spanning six intensive
sessions, focused on the roots of identity-based violence, the legal implications of
terminology, the role of the media in shaping conflict narratives, and the operational
consequences of how armed actors are classified.
“The way we describe threats has real consequences. It can either promote understanding and trust or deepen division and suspicion. We must choose language that supports peacebuilding and respects
human dignity,” they added.
The conference is part of a broader project supported by the United Kingdom Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (UK-FCDO) under its Strengthening
Peacebuilding and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme.
It also benefited from strong institutional partnerships with the National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC),
the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and the Institute for
Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR).
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