Strengthen Citizen-Security Agent Coordination and Engagement for Community Resilience Against Violent Extremism in Adamawa State
The project “Strengthen Citizen-Security Agents Coordination and Engagement for Community Resilience Against Violent Extremism” is a six (6) months project implemented by Global Peace Development with funding support from USAID through the Nigeria Northeast Connection.
The project aims to empower community actors to counter violent extremism through increase trust and coordination with security agents in Demsa, Mubi North and Mubi South LGA of Adamawa State.
To achieve the project goal, GPD conducted several activities that include rapid assessment and validation workshop; town hall meetings and establishment of local peace structures; training of community peace structures members; dialogue sessions; and periodic monitoring.
Specifically, through the activities implemented, GPD established 27 Community Peace Structures that are now actively engaged in collaborative surveillance, referral, and response by security agents to counter violent extremism in Demsa, Mubi North and Mubi South LGAs of Adamawa State.
“In my community, 20 youths have voluntarily joined the hunters Association to help safeguard the community” - Yunusa Buba, Didif-digil community of Mubi North LGA, Adamawa State
Similarly, through the effort of the local peace structures at the community level, the project increased surveillance among community peace structures and local security agents.
“Precisely at 1:00am on the 21st March 2022, kidnappers invaded our community and tried to escape with one of the community member. I noticed the incidence then alerted other members of the local peace volunteers to blow whistles and gunshots to scare the Kidnappers, in the end, we rescued our community member from the Kidnappers, though he was injured but he is being treated in Yola. The knowledge I gained from the Early Warning and Response Training has equipped our Local Peace Volunteers with skills to detect and prevent violent extremist group infiltrating our community” - Shittu Ayuba of Diribish, Mubi South LGA
Significantly, the intervention impacted 1,575 (1101male and 474 female) direct beneficiaries who through their feedback showed increased resilience against all forms of violence.
“The project activity especially the training has enhanced our knowledge on early warning and early response mechanism which we are now using to ensure safety of our community. With the knowledge of the early warning knowledge we were able to recently respond timely to an early warning signal shared by a community member about quickly supported the local security agents to do an intensive tracking using the information provided and we were able to retrieve 7 out of 17 animals stolen. This is a great achievement for us because the thieves were later caught and we have referred the case to the police” - Sanamon Ali of Kodomun Community, Demsa LGA
More so, aside building the trust and synergy between communities and security agents, the project contributed greatly to the promotion of women participation in peace building processes through the 30% representation of women in the different peace structures established across the target communities
“the project has empowered women participation in peace building process. We are now part of the process of ensuring safety of our community. In fact, I now see myself as a community police. Community members now refer cases to me, and I have resolved several dispute in my area with the conflict resolution skill I acquired during the training” Milkatu Elnathan-Mugarang Community, Demsa LGA
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