From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has reiterated Nigeria’s readiness to tackle violent extremism through inclusive dialogue, strategic partnerships, and support for victims.
It said dialogue was part of a technical mission to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to implement its National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).
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National Coordinator of the NCTC, Major General Adamu Laka, who made this known, said Nigeria’s strategy was anchored on a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach, mobilising security, justice, education, health and traditional institutions to work collectively.
Gen. Laka, spoke at the opening of a two day policy dialogue and training on victims’ assistance and the prevention of violent extremism meeting holding in Abuja.
The meeting is being organized in collaboration with Colombia’s Unit for the Attention and Integral Reparation of Victims, under the South-South Cooperation framework.
Gen. Laka, while noting that kinetic operations remains important, however said they are not sufficient, sustainable peace requires community-based approaches that focus on prevention, healing and resilience.
Laka, while identifying Colombia’s long-standing peacebuilding experience as a valuable resource, especially in post-conflict reintegration and victim rehabilitation, said that Nigeria was already making progress with the establishment of community peace committees and early warning systems to prevent human rights violations and build inclusive responses.
He urged stakeholders at the meeting to share practical solutions and best practices that could enrich national policies and programmes, adding that victims’ dignity must remain at the centre of the national response.
“We appreciate Colombia’s solidarity and leadership, and we look forward to a deeper and sustained partnership,” he said.
In his address, Head of Colombian delegation and Deputy Director, Colombia’s Agency for the Renewal of the Territory, Mr. Sebastián García, commended Nigeria’s efforts in strengthening local peace mechanisms and community-based prevention systems.
He said that Colombia and Nigeria had deepened cooperation on peacebuilding and victim support while seeking shared solutions to violent extremism through South-South collaboration.
“We are here not just to share, but to learn. Our countries may be oceans apart, but our struggles and our hopes are the same,” he said.
The Etsu of Kwali, Mr Luka Nizassan III, called for a stronger, budget-backed approach to preventing violent extremism in Nigeria, saying there was the need for national and state budgets to reflect human security priorities.
Gracia, while noting that prioritizing prevention would help to save resources and enable development to thrive, pledged the commitment of his country to grassroots peacebuilding and multi-sectoral coordination, just as he noted that every budget line should be tied to reducing the root causes of terrorism.
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