Bukola Afeni
CSOs, security experts, and community leaders has said embracing traditional strategy for community-based surveillance and response system will reduce terrorism in the country.
The experts disclosed this at communique issued at the end of a two day sensitisation workshop in Gombe state organised by CISLAC-TI.
The Workshop was attended by over 50 participants from Anti-corruption agencies, Security agencies, Defence institution, Community Security Volunteer,Traditional institutions, Community-Based Organisations, Faith-Based Organisations, Women-led organisations, Persons With Disabilities, Civil Society and the Media.
The participants observed that delay in the passage and presidential assent into legislative framework establishing the Local Government Autonomy remains a major impediment to sustainable development at grassroot level, hence continuous socio-economic deprivation that exacerbates violent extremism.
“Violent extremism is enabled by unattended socio-economic challenges, poverty, unchecked ideology, illiteracy, political instability, insecurity.
“Unguarded borders that consist of multiple legal and illegal entry points coupled with an unregulated and highly differentiated informal financial and economic sector, are enablers for terrorism financing in Nigeria.”
The group noted that the emergence of North East Development Commission has helped in bridging the identified socio-economic and development gaps paving way for violent extremism and terrorism across communities in the North East.
“In Nigeria, extremist ideologies are promoted by the malicious activities of ethnic militias, religious, secessionist movement, moral/value decay at community levels.”
The stakeholders noted that promoting comprehensive awareness campaign at community levels through persistent localised engagements to build ownership and cooperation against violent extremism and terrorism financing will be effective.
“We need to protect the community from reprisal attack while giving sensitive information. We need adequate whistle-blower protection and data secrecy through policy transition into legislation.
“We are encouraging community observation activities to enhance surveillance for strategic information sharing and proactive partnership with response institutions against threat signals”, the participants recommended.
