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From Shafa’atu Suleiman, Sokoto
The Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria) has called on the Federal Government to declare banditry and terrorism in the North-West a humanitarian emergency, warning that thousands of displaced persons, especially women and children, are living in unsafe conditions without adequate protection.
The organisation said a formal declaration would pave the way for a coordinated humanitarian response similar to the intervention implemented in the North-East, including the establishment of properly managed Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and increased support from international humanitarian agencies.
Speaking at a one-day Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue and Research Dissemination Workshop in Sokoto, the Programme Officer for Good Governance at Caritas Nigeria, Jude Akwo, said the humanitarian impact of banditry in the North-West had reached a level that required urgent national attention.
The workshop, themed “Building Community Resilience Through Women’s Roles in Conflict Prevention and Mediation in North-Western Nigeria: Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States,” brought together stakeholders to discuss findings from a research on women’s contributions to peacebuilding.
Akwo lamented that many displaced persons were currently taking refuge in informal settlements and abandoned buildings where they remained vulnerable to abuse.
“The IDP camps are not formal. There are cases of secondary abuse, including rape of women because many of the camps are not secured. People are living in makeshift and incomplete buildings,” he said.
According to him, a formal declaration of a humanitarian emergency would enable the Federal Government to attract structured intervention from international humanitarian organisations and improve protection for victims of banditry.
He explained that Caritas Nigeria, a member of the global Caritas Internationalis with headquarters in the Vatican, works on humanitarian intervention, peacebuilding, civic engagement and good governance across Nigeria.
Presenting findings from the research, Akwo said women in conflict-affected communities had gone beyond being victims by actively supporting peacebuilding efforts.
He noted that women had established community support systems for survivors, organised early warning networks, participated in negotiations, cared for children of kidnapped victims and even mobilised community savings to secure the release of abducted relatives.
He urged governments at all levels to recognise women as critical partners in addressing insecurity in the North-West rather than viewing them solely as victims.
Akwo also called for stronger collaboration between civil society organisations and security agencies to improve accountability and transparency in security operations.
According to him, regular dialogue involving the military, police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and civil society groups would strengthen public trust and improve responses to the security crisis.
