Follow Us on Google
From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Cleen Foundation in conjunction with Equal Access International have commenced a 4-day training of 46 security personnel in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Tagged the Security Actors Training, the participants who were drawn from Benue and Plateau States included personnel from the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Vigilante and others.
Speaking during the opening ceremony held at the Benue Hotels in Makurdi on Tuesday, acting Executive Director, Clean Foundation, Mrs. Ruth Olofin said the choice of the states for intervention was necessitated by their historical precedence which suggests that they are beset by numerous violent conflicts.
She said this necessitated a concerted effort from the government, development agencies and even members of the community themselves to put an end to those hienious acts that continue to decimate Nigerians resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands.
On his part, Deputy Country Director, Equal Access International, Gad Peter said they were collaborating to train security personnel on early warning, early response, conflict analysis, human rights, strategic communication and on the core areas of community policing.
“We hope to, at the end of the training, establish a community accountability forum where religious leaders, youths, women and security agencies will be meeting monthly to discuss issues of community relations to ensure peace and stability in their communities.
“The forum will be established in each local government area of our intervention including Agatu, Gwer West, and Guma in Benue State as well as Barkin Ladi, Ryom and Jos South in Plateau State,” Peter said.
While noting that they were working in 12 LGAs across the four states of operation in Nigeria in Kano, Kaduna, Benue and Plateau, Peter added that the same training would be carried out in Kano and Kaduna next week.
Also speaking, Program Officer of Clean Foundation, Ebere Mbaegbu said the Foundation was collaborating with Equal Access Internation to tackle the emergence of security issues from the local communities.
A retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Austin Iwua who was one of the resource persons at the training workshop said the whole idea.of the training is to see how crime can be prevented by way of looking at the root cause of the crises in communities.
“Over the years, we have had a lot of crisis in our rural communities as well as banditry and the likes that are affecting the lives of our people in our local communities.”
“Even though government has tried to resolve these crises, there are still people that need to be involved. Law enforcement requires that security agencies work with members of the community,” Iwua said.
Representatives of Commissioners of Police from Benue and Plateau, SP Afegboh Ohilebo and SP Dastu Ringle, said the training would avail participants the opportunity to increase their synergy and partnership with sister agencies.
According to them, the high spate of insecurity in the country has thrown up a new reason to synergize more with other security agencies towards the onerous goal of better securing the country.
“If this kind of collaboration had been carried out from the begining, we wouldn’t have been having this kind of insecurity situation, we are currently battling with in this country.”
