Violent Incidents on Decrease in North Central States, Says Report

As over 1,117 disputes resolved in 136 communities

James Emejo and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

A new report by Mercy Corps and Partners has shown a reduction in the number of violent incidents in the North Central states of Benue, Kogi, and Plateau.

The report, an evidence generated at the close-out event in Abuja and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), shown that over 1M117 disputes from grazing rights to water access and communal tensions have been peacefully resolved in 136 implementing communities.

The report further added that communities that were once on the brink of violence are now isles of peace, inspiring other communities.

The Country Director, Mercy Corps Nigeria, Ndubisi Anyanwu, in his address hinted that: “On behalf of Mercy Corps Nigeria, I stand before you filled with immense pride and a deep sense of gratitude as we celebrate the culmination of the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) programme. 

“For the past four years +, the CIPP programme, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has brought hope to a region grappling with complex challenges.

“We all know the narrative, violence fueled by competition for dwindling resources, climate change, and political tensions.

“These conflicts have devastated communities in the Northwest states of Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina, and the North Central states of Plateau, Benue, and Kogi. Villages burned, livelihoods destroyed, lives tragically lost-the human cost has been immense.”

According to Anyanwu, the programme has provided communities, including traditional leaders, women, men, and youths, with the necessary tools to play leadership roles in dispute resolution, Early Warning and Early Response (EWER), and prevention of violent extremism.

Additionally, he said the programme has deepened the engagement of women and youths in peace processes.

He maintained that through constructive engagement of governance institutions and vertical and horizontal linkages with established peace structures, the activity has contributed to efforts to strengthen relationships and improve responsiveness to the needs and priorities of marginalised groups.

The CIPP, he opined, was not about imposing solutions. It was about equipping community leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders, women, youth, and government officials with the necessary tools they needed to resolve disputes peacefully.

“We provided training in conflict management, negotiation, mediation, and early warning systems and response.

“We fostered dialogue, reconciliation, and economic interdependence. The results have been nothing short of remarkable,” the Mercy Corp Country director said.