By Nathan Nwakamma

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has urged security agencies and communities in the region to build trust in order to collectively tackle crime and insecurity.

The Executive Director, Mr Sam Daibo, made the call at the second phase of PIND’s social cohesion building programme for communities and security agencies on Thursday in Yenagoa.

Represented by the event’s team lead, Mr Faith Etukudo, Daibo said that PIND was committed to promoting peace building, economic growth and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

He said that the programme was aimed at using multi-stakeholder partnerships to strengthen cohesion between communities and security agencies in the region.

“Peace and security partnerships are only sustainable when they are built on trust. This initiative creates a safe and structured space for dialogue.

“It also creates space for truth-telling, and joint peace actions between communities and the institutions that protect them,” he said.

Daibo stated that the programme’s pilot phase kicked off in 2024, and that the second phase would be implemented in 10 communities selected from five local government areas in Bayelsa.

He listed some of the communities as, Agbere, Ekeremor, Toru Ndoro, Odi, Igbomotoro, Opuama, Gbarain-Toru and Agboa/Nedugo.

Mr Solomon Diri, the Spokesman, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Bayelsa, said that the corps required the support of community people to deliver on its mandate.

Diri said that community people were at the centre of the corps’ area of duty which centred around protection of critical assets, rights protection, disaster management, among others.

Mr Daniel Oba, the Public Relations Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, in Bayelsa, said that the crusade against drug abuse was in the overall interest of the communities.

Oba said that it was in the interest of community people to collaborate with the agency to tackle drug-related crimes.

“Drug misuse and abuse are fuelling insecurity and violence in communities; residents should leverage their familiarity with the locality to support the agency with credible intelligence,” he said.

DSP Musa Mohammed, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, commended PIND for its commitment to promoting peace and security in communities.

Mohammed said that the programme aligned with the community policing strategy of the police service, saying, “communities are urged to support the efforts of security agencies to tackle crime.”

Chief Robert Bokolor, a community leader, described the programme as enriching and well-intended.

“We have learnt a lot from this engagement. It has enabled us to understand the challenges being faced by security officials deployed to our communities,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Azubuike Okeh