21,977 Banditry Survivors Get Psychosocial Services in Katsina
• CDD engages 30,066 farmers, herders, others in dialogue
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa) has supported 21,977 banditry survivors with community-based protection and psychosocial services in Batsari, Kankara, Danmusa and Jibia Local Government Areas of Katsina State.
The centre, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Mercy Corps, has also resolved 110 farmers-herders’ conflicts, communal clashes, domestic violence and land disputes in the four hitherto banditry-ravaged local governments.
The CDD Director, Dr. Garuba Dauda, disclosed these at a two-day knowledge sharing session christened: ‘Leveraging Insights from Previous Capacity-Building Trainings for Journalists in Katsina State on Conflict Sensitivity Reporting.’
The knowledge-sharing session was organised by the CDD in Katsina under its Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation in North West Nigeria (CMCR-NW) project.
Funded by the European Union (EU), the CMCR-NW project is being implemented in Kankara, Danmusa, Batsari and Jibia by the CDD, Mercy Corps and IOM.
Dauda, while presenting an overview of the CMCR-NW project during the two-day knowledge-sharing session, said the 21,977 community members were supported through directed community-based protection and psychosocial services.
Represented by the CDD Programme Manager of the CMCR-NW, Mr. Kolawole Ogunbiyi, the director explained that the 110 resolved conflicts were predominantly herder-farmers clashes, communal conflicts and domestic issues reported across the four-banditry affected local government areas.
He said 120 conflicts were reported, but 110 were amicably resolved by members of the Community Response Network (CRN) of the CDD, Mercy Corps and IOM, while 10 are still in different stages of reconciliation processes.
He said: “120 conflicts were reported from the inception of this project. 110 have been resolved and 10 are still unresolved. The conflicts reported are mostly farmers-herders related in the communities along the corridors and domestic issues.
“We also supported 21,977 community members through directed community-based protection and psychosocial services in Batsari, Jibia, Kankara and Danmusa Local Governments.”
He said CDD and its partners have held 232 peace and conflict reconciliation meetings in communities across the four benefitting local governments with 2,320 beneficiaries, and built a capacity of 2,935 persons in the local governments.
On dialogue and community engagement, Dauda said the centre carried out 85 dialogues with 30,066 beneficiaries, including farmers, herders, traditional and religious leaders, youth, women and journalists.
The CDD director stated that the centre also drilled and renovated over 24 solar-powered and hand-pumping boreholes and rehabilitate primary healthcare facilities and classrooms under its Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) in the state.
He added that the conflict mitigation and community reconciliation project had reduced violent conflicts in communities across the state through peace-building trainings and dialogues.
