Stakeholders brainstorm on Benue security challenges

Key stakeholders    in Benue State have met to brainstorm strategies for curbing recurring violence, as the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), with support from the United Kingdom, intensified efforts to strengthen conflict surveillance and rapid response systems in the state. The engagement, held under the UK-funded Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria […]

Key stakeholders    in Benue State have met to brainstorm strategies for curbing recurring violence, as the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), with support from the United Kingdom, intensified efforts to strengthen conflict surveillance and rapid response systems in the state.

The engagement, held under the UK-funded Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) project, seeks to reinforce Nigeria’s National Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System (NCEWERS), with a strong emphasis on gender and social inclusion.

Participants were drawn from Community-Based Reconciliation Committees, Early Warning and Early Response Groups, Gender Focal Persons, and groups representing Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Faith-based organizations and relevant government agencies across the Makurdi, Otukpo, and Guma Local Government Areas also deliberated on practical measures to improve real-time conflict monitoring and coordinated response.

The Director-General of the IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, described the meeting as a renewed push to enhance collaboration and data-driven monitoring in a state battling persistent security challenges.

He stressed that effective coordination among international partners, national institutions, and grassroots actors remains critical to preventing violence and strengthening social cohesion.

According to Ochogwu, the complex and overlapping security threats confronting Benue demand stronger institutional synergy, timely intelligence gathering, and swift intervention mechanisms.