As part of measure to possibly prevent variables capable of degenerating into crisis, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) NEEM Foundation in its Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism project (TSC) launched Early Warning, Early Response Team in Sokoto, North West, Nigeria.
Recall that Sokoto is one of the states in northern Nigeria battling insecurity orchestrated by banditry, kidnapping, farmers/ herders clashing amongst other forms of crimes.
Addressing stakeholders at the launch of Trans Sahara Counter Terrorism (TSC) Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system at Sokoto Guest Inn, Aishat Ibrahim decried that Nigeria is painfully gripped with diverse forms of challenges.
Aishat, who is the Programme Manager of Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism (TSC) said part of the most alarming challenges confronting Nigeria is insecurity.
According to her, the North Eastern axis of the country is been faced with issue of unending Boko Haram. The southern axis of Nigeria bitterly experiencing kidnapping, and armed robbery while North West and North Central are battling with banditry, kidnapping, herders/farmers clashes and all that resulting in diverse forms of conflicts.
Giving her submission, on why community-based peace and conflict resolution is crucial to lasting peace, Aishat said violence and conflict of whatever nature has negative effect on both the active and nonactive actors as they disrupt social cohesion, increase mutual distrust and retards development.
She further added that, to overcome some of these security challenges, aside, from setting up the community-based peace and reconciliation committee, the Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) strategy should be deployed to elicit immediate responses from different actors.
Speaking earlier in her welcome address, Sokoto State Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism (TSC) Programme Officer, Mrs Abah Comfort said, the TSC project is aimed at building trust and increasing service provision in communities at risk of recruitment to violent extremism.
She also hinted that TSC is poised to provide positive alternatives such as economic empowerment, capacity building, entrepreneurship skills training and livelihood support for vulnerable women and youths at the risk of radicalization.
Mrs Comfort further noted that the Community Peace and Reconciliatory Committee will amongst other things help identify causes of local grievances, identify current gaps, organise focus group discussions to scrutinize early warnings and proffer early responses capable of mitigating whatever that might deescalate violence.
Speaking in his remarks, Sokoto State Commissioner of Police (CP) Ali Kaigama represented by one of his Deputies, appealed to communities to be vigilant and report threats themselves rather than waiting for the media.
He appealed for frantic engagement of traditional and religious leaders towards recovery of arms in the hands of wrong people, affirmed that these respected leaders if genuinely engaged by the authority will unearth so many things as they are the custodians of people in their jurisdictions.
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