Zamfara’s voluntary aid initiative organises dialogue for justice, peace

A civil society organisation, the Voluntary Aid Initiative (VAI), based in Zamfara State, organised dialogue meetings with security agencies, community leaders, and other stakeholders aimed at improving access to justice, peace, and accountability in the state.

In a statement issued on Monday evening in Gusau by the Project Officer of the VAI, Mr Buhari Ya’u Moriki, he said the dialogues were held in Birnin-Magaji and Tsafe Communities in the state.

The activity, themed “Community Engagement with Security Agencies on Security Priority Issues and Building Partnership to Ensure Effective Oversight and Accountability,” was organised with support from International Alert, an NGO, under a project titled “Promoting Stability, Access to Justice, and Accountability in the North West region of the country.”

Moriki explained that the dialogue was attended by representatives of security agencies, traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, and other major stakeholders from four communities: Tsafe, Birnin-Magaji, Nasarawa-Godel, and Bilbis in the state.

“The participants expressed readiness to continue partnering with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to promote access to justice in their respective areas,” he said.

“Other participants included representatives from security agencies, traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), youths, and women from the four communities,” he explained.

Moriki noted that the dialogue extensively discussed how to strengthen partnerships between security agencies and other stakeholders in promoting accountability, access to justice, and ensuring active oversight and accountability at the community level.

“The dialogue engaged major security stakeholders on how to promote access to justice, and the participants discussed extensively on modalities of promoting peace and stability in society,” he added.

In their separate remarks, the District Head of Nasarawar-Godel, Alhaji Nura Dan’ali, and the District Head of Tsafe, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, commended the VAI and International Alert for implementing a project to ensure justice and accountability.

Dan’ali urged participants to sustain the ideas and knowledge gained from the dialogue and ensure the sustainability of security priorities in their respective communities.

Aliyu said, “As traditional leaders and custodians of people, we must encourage accountability and access to justice in order to sustain peace and stability in our communities.”

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