NGO trains security agents on civil-military cooperation

A Non-Governmental Organisation, CLEEN Foundation, has organised a two-day training for security agents on civilian protection, civil-military cooperation and international humanitarian law. Declaring the training open in Jos, Plateau State, Mr Gad Peter, the Executive Director of the organisation, said that the exercise was supported by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and International […]

A Non-Governmental Organisation, CLEEN Foundation, has organised a two-day training for security agents on civilian protection, civil-military cooperation and international humanitarian law.

Declaring the training open in Jos, Plateau State, Mr Gad Peter, the Executive Director of the organisation, said that the exercise was supported by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and International Alert.

He explained that the project, currently being implemented in Plateau, Borno and Zamfara states, aimed at promoting human rights, inclusivity and accountability in security sector governance, noting that it would promote early response to existing and emerging security challenges currently facing Nigeria.

He said, “Terrorism continues to pose a major threat to internal peace, stability and security in the country and undermines the core values of the nation. So, this project is focusing on Borno, Zamfara and Plat-eau considering that these states continue to face multiple challenges posed by various terrorist groups with devastating human cost and immense negative consequences for economic and social develop-ment.

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”In Borno, Plateau and Zamfara, terrorism has become a troubling issue in recent times. Terrorists have destroyed lives and property. Some are permanently altered, with an increased number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), thereby costing the government a huge lot of resources to tackle them.

“As the government is doing its best to eradicate terrorism, CLEEN Foundation is also leaving no stone unturned to help in getting rid of the menace through constructive interventions with state and non-state actors.

“CLEEN Foundation, through this project, will be assessing the performance of the security agents in such a way they do not affect the ordinary citizens by following the concerns that violent attacks on the part of law enforcement and military units have led to international accusations of human rights abuses and ensure that perpetrators of such acts are brought to justice.”

While noting that the project would look at the crucial role of women towards creating opportunities for social cohesion and a more inclusive and stable society, he said the project would complement the ef-forts of law enforcement and intelligence agencies and also empower a vast network of actors at the local and national levels.

He further said, “This means that policymakers and practitioners have a space to engage with stakehold-ers and women in particular within the value chain.

“The role of women and girls is crucial when working on creating opportunities for social cohesion and a more inclusive and stable society.”

Participants at the training are the police, military, immigration, DSS, civil defence, road safety, Civil So-ciety Organisations (CSOs), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), among others.