The warning comes at a time when Zamfara and other states in the Northwest are still battling armed banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, mass displacement, deep poverty and climate change pressures that continue to fuel insecurity.
The concern was raised on Tuesday at the Project Steering Committee meeting of the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience, CPCRR, Programme held in Abuja.
The Zamfara State Government, which was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Yahya Zakari, appealed to international partners not to end the programme without putting in place a follow-up mechanism to consolidate the gains already recorded.
Zakari, who also chairs the CPCRR Project Steering Committee, was representing Governor Dauda Lawal. He said the interventions under the programme have helped communities affected by years of insecurity to rebuild their livelihoods, revive local peace committees and put in place early warning systems to prevent conflicts.
He noted that restoring peace and rebuilding the confidence of the people remains the central focus of the present administration's rescue agenda.
"We made firm commitment under our rescue agenda to restore peace, secure lives, and build the resilience of our people," Zakari stated.
According to him, while progress has been made, communities that have just started rebuilding their lives still face enormous challenges and cannot be left alone.
He therefore made a passionate appeal for continuity, asking development partners to consider additional funding and an extension of the programme.
"I wish to make a passionate appeal for sustained engagement, consolidation of the gains, and consideration for additional funding and a follow-on program," he said.
The meeting highlighted the difficult reality facing Zamfara and other Northwest states, where security operations alone have not been enough to address the root causes of violence. Stakeholders agreed that tackling poverty, unemployment, and weak community structures is key to preventing armed groups from exploiting vulnerable people.
Giving an overview of the project's impact, the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of IOM, Taha Amr, said the CPCRR programme has so far reached nearly 70,000 beneficiaries across the region.
He explained that the interventions cover a wide range of areas including peacebuilding, livelihood support, climate adaptation, protection services, mental health and psychosocial support, as well as access to basic services.
Amr stressed that the Northwest continues to suffer from the combined effects of banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts and climate shocks, which have displaced thousands and put pressure on already overstretched communities and public services.
"To date, we are proud to share that IOM has reached almost 70,000 beneficiaries, strengthening local-led peacebuilding architecture," he said.
On his part, the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, revealed that the EU has invested over €5 million in the CPCRR project because of the scale of humanitarian and security challenges facing the Northwest.
He said the project was intentionally designed to be locally driven, focusing on conflict prevention, early warning, dialogue, mediation and resilience-building through community structures and government institutions.
"The project reflects the EU's conviction that effective conflict prevention must be locally anchored," Mignot said.
The Ambassador, however, challenged state governments in the region, particularly Zamfara, to take ownership of the structures that have been built with international support and ensure they do not collapse after the funding ends.
"I would like very much to also encourage the state government, all of you, to take over, to take full responsibility to build on what has been reinforced by this project," he added.
Participants at the meeting agreed that without sustained support and strong political will from state authorities, the gains of the past months could be reversed, plunging affected communities back into the cycle of violence and displacement.
