By Angela Atabo

Gov Hyacinth Alia of Benue has called for assistance in facilitating the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes.

Alia made the call at the North-Central Regional Consultation on the Harmonisation of  the National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Framework in Makurdi.

The Workshop on the  theme “Towards Creating Exit Pathways out of Violence and Criminality” was organised by International Alert in collaboration with Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), through the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

“We have about 17 IDP camps in the state and we have started working to return them home.

“As we deliberate and reflect during this consultation, let us all remember that the safest shield is not the wall but trust. And the most reliable armour is not fear, but accountability and courage.

“People in some local governments have been killed, driven out, and their lands taken and occupied.

“This is our reality. There is no other way of saying it, but this is the truth. We need every resolution and we need every solution to be placed on the table for this to work,” he said.

Alia said the government was a  willing collaborator and partner of peace and would ensure at all times that peace was  the watchword throughout the state and its  borders.

“Let us walk this road together, not armed with bullets, but with bold ideas, collaborative spirit and unwavering resolve. Support me to take all the IDPs back to their ancestral land.

“Let our farmers go back to their own farmlands. Let our children have a future as we continue to work towards a one unified state, region and nation,”he said.

The governor said that although there were a lot of sentiments on the security challenges in the state, guns and land grabbing were not the answers, peace was  the target and must be achieved.

A representative of  the National Security Advisor, Mairo Abbas, Director, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, said the workshop was aimed at  building  a framework that mirrored a collective aspiration.

He explained that it would also  leverage  indigenous knowledge systems and strengthen  national unity.

Abbas said the workshop provided a unique opportunity to jointly explore practical and viable exit pathways for all affected groups, including women, children and others, who have been caught up in cycles of violence.

“We convene here today at a time when Nigeria as a nation is intensifying its effort  towards achieving sustainable peace, enhanced national security and inclusive development.

“What we are  here to deliberate upon is a critical pillar of our national strategy for managing post-conflict transitions, addressing the root causes of violent extremism and fostering lasting peace and stability.

“The Northern Central Region is uniquely impacted by a range of security challenges, which has been outlined here, which also includes farmers’ and headers, conflicts, communal violence, banditry and violent extremism,” he said.

Abbas urged all participants to  ensure that the national DDR framework to be developed was inclusive, context-specific, attuned to the peculiar realities  and anchored on forgiveness, reconciliation and unity.

Dr Paul Nyulaku-Bemshima, Country Director of International Alert Nigeria, said the convergence was important in the light of the violence in the North Central.

Nyulaku-Bemshima said disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, was about seeking exit pathways out of violence and criminality.

“So this range of stakeholders we have convened with the support of the Office of National Security Advisor, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the SPRING Programme and the UK Government is aimed  at opening up platforms for conversation.

“This is to ensure that the different stakeholders, groups, actors come together to frame their peace, and  identify the drivers of violence.

“It is for them to also  recognise that, even though kinetic measures have been taken,  different communities have taken up arms against each other, different actors have attacked several communities, there is still a place for peace.

“There is still a place for finding an exit out of the dilemma that we face in the North Central.” he said.

Nyulaku-Bemshima said the event convened experts to address the issues and chart a way forward, saying a  communiqué would be issued at the end of the meeting.

Dr Ukoha Ukiwo, Team Lead, Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING), said the SPRING Programme was  an initiative of  the UK Government intended to foster efforts at stability in Nigeria.

Ukiowo said the UK recognised the potential and possibilities of Nigeria being a stabilising force, not just in Africa but in the world as the most populous black country.

The team lead said that over the past 20 years, security challenges in the country had made different subnational entities, particularly state governments, to develop non-kinetic solutions. (NAN)

Edited by Gabriel Yough