By Sumaila Ogbaje
Stakeholders from the security, media, academic and peacebuilding sectors have evolved strategies to address ethnic stereotyping and profiling in crisis and security reporting in Nigeria.
The stakeholders agreed on Tuesday in Abuja, at a meeting of the Draft Anti-Ethnic Stereotyping and Profiling Toolkits for Security and Media Reporting.
The initiative is organised by Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL) and the WhiteInk Institute for Strategy Education and Research (WISER) with support from key government institutions and development partners.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, described the initiative as a strategic intervention for promoting peace and responsible communication.
Ochogwu epresented by Dr Gerald Okafor, Director of Internal Conflict Prevention and Resolution, said ethnic stereotyping and profiling remained threats to national cohesion, public trust and effective conflict management, particularly in a diverse society like Nigeria.
According to him, the toolkits will provide practical guidance for security agencies, journalists and communicators in promoting objective, professional and conflict-sensitive reporting.
He commended the organisers and the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme for supporting efforts aimed at strengthening peaceful coexistence and social cohesion.
The President and Founder of WISER, retired Brig.-Gen. Saleh Bala, said language and narratives used in security and media communications could either promote peace or deepen divisions.
Bala noted that inaccurate labels and harmful stereotypes often shaped public perceptions, fuel mistrust and undermined efforts to build understanding among communities.
He said the toolkits were designed to encourage accuracy, fairness and professionalism in reporting issues relating to security, conflict, ethnicity, religion and regional identities.
According to him, the growing influence of social media has further amplified stereotypes, making the development of practical communication guidelines increasingly necessary.
In the same vein, the Managing Director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Dr Kabiru Adamu, said the project was informed by extensive research and consultations across multiple stakeholder groups.
Adamu said the consultations involved security practitioners, journalists, policymakers, academics, traditional rulers, religious leaders and representatives of conflict-affected communities.
He said findings revealed that ethnically coded language often weakened trust between communities and security institutions, thereby affecting cooperation and intelligence gathering.
According to him, stakeholders also expressed concern over the use of broad labels that oversimplify security challenges and obscure the roles of criminal actors.
Adamu said the project produced two complementary toolkits, one for security communication and the other for media communication.
He explained that both toolkits encouraged describing security threats based on behaviour, intent and evidence rather than ethnicity, religion or other identity markers.
He added that the toolkits also contained ethical reporting standards, bias-mitigation measures, accountability mechanisms, fact-checking protocols and guidelines for conflict-sensitive communication.
Participants reviewed the draft documents and offered recommendations aimed at improving their technical quality, operational relevance and prospects for institutional adoption.
The validation exercise is expected to produce stakeholder-endorsed frameworks for promoting objective, evidence-based and conflict-sensitive communication across Nigeria’s security and media sectors.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deborah Coker
