Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday urged leaders within the Lake Chad region and international development partners to wake up to the need for peace and stability to be restored in the region.

Buhari spoke in Abuja at the opening of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission(LCBC) convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after President Idris Deby Itno died on the frontline while defending the territorial integrity of his country.

"Our region is faced with difficult, several challenges that need the support and engagement of all to overcome," said the Nigerian leader, who declared the one-day summit open in his capacity as the Chair of leaders of LCBC member countries.

He said while transnational crimes and rebellion cutting across the region continue to evolve in scope, the attendant conflicts also continue to retain their distinct form of inflicting untold hardship and difficulty on the lives of the citizens.

"The threats by the Chadian rebel groups, who are clamoring to overthrow the government, must be viewed with all the seriousness they deserve because the consequences of a destabilized Chad to the sub-region cannot be imagined," Buhari said.

According to him, the flow of refugees and displaced persons from the country, the unrestrained flow of arms, drugs, and other harmful substances into Lake Chad and Sahel regions, which are already challenged by terrorists seeking to establish parallel systems, would further compound the security and stability of the areas and neighboring countries.

The Nigerian leader called on other leaders in the region to rise to the existent challenges and not allow the enemies of the region to succeed in their quest to destabilize the area.

"It is, therefore, our collective duty and in honor of the memory of the men and women that have died in search of peace in the region, to rise in unison as leaders of the region to ensure that peace, stability, and security are not disrupted in Chad and in the entire region," he said.

"These challenges, which are fuelled by an interplay of poverty and the loss of sustainable means of livelihood due to climate change, have been further exacerbated by the direct consequence of the complete breakdown of law and order in Libya," Buhari said further.

The Libyan conflict, he noted, has increased fragility in the region with debilitating security implications across Lake Chad and the larger Sahel region, typified by increased circulation of illicit arms and ammunition, narcotic substances as well as a refugee crisis that continues to threaten the security of the region.

"We must reinvigorate our collective will and commitment towards eradicating terrorism and entrenching democratic rule and good governance in Chad and in our region," he added.