Stakeholder advocates State Police to curb insecurity in Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Again, the single centralized police system practiced in Nigeria has been faulted as an anomaly promoted during the military era, since a country as large as Nigeria needs a functional state police structure to effectively mitigate insecurity in the ungoverned spaces.

This was the view of Jaye Gaskia, the Chair of the Development and Management Team of the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, PCVE Knowledge Innovation and Resource Hub and the Partnership Against Violent Extremism, PAVE Network Steering Committee, during the Plateau Stakeholders and Media Engagement held in Jos.

He advised that fear of abuse should not restrain what he described as the right approach to mitigate Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, calling for a constitutional amendment to provide guidelines for implementing state police as well as a National Policing Act that guarantees recruitment based on professionalism and residency rather than indigeneship, to prevent the raising of ethnic militias.

Gaskia further stressed, “Nigeria can overcome insecurity and chart a path toward inclusive peace, sustainable development, and national stability by promoting evidence-based interventions, strengthening collaboration among stakeholders, and addressing the root causes of violent extremism.”

Introducing the PAVE Network at a press conference, Gaskia explained that it is a broad-based national civil society platform dedicated to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) across the country and the network operates in 22 State chapters with a presence in all six geopolitical zones in the country.

He noted, “The PAVE Network serves as a coordination platform for civil society engagement, drives knowledge generation and dissemination on PCVE, facilitates collaboration with government institutions such as the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and promotes accountability and human rights safeguards in PCVE interventions.

“Its work is organized around thematic groups focusing on women and gender, youth and students, religious and traditional leaders, and media and strategic communications, and a flagship initiative of the PAVE Network, the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation, and Resource Hub (KIRH) functions as a think tank and knowledge management platform.”

Developed with NCTC-ONSA, the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and other partners, the hub curates existing PCVE knowledge, generates and shares new evidence, provides technical resources for stakeholders, offers a safe space for critical dialogue, promotes best practices, and strengthens the quality and impact of PCVE interventions nationwide.

Gaskia emphasized that violent extremism is not confined to any single state or region but is a nationwide threat demanding a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response, and addressing it requires coordination across federal, state, and local governments, as well as active involvement of civil society, communities, religious leaders, academia, media, and the private sector.

He asked that violent extremism must be treated as both a security and development challenge rooted in socio-economic inequalities, political exclusion, and structural injustices hence, “Strengthening local peacebuilding, enhancing community resilience, and empowering women and youths remain key priorities to build safer, more resilient communities across Nigeria.”

The post Stakeholder advocates State Police to curb insecurity in Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces appeared first on Vanguard News.