A Non-Governmental Organisation, Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative (GAJI), with the support of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan, has commenced the rehabilitation of victims of conflicts in Benue State.
For more than 10 years, there have been herdsmen-farmers conflicts in the Middle Belt. This has rendered many people, especially farmers, homeless and forced them to take refuge at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps across the state.
Speaking during an advocacy visit to Gbajimba, the headquarters of Guma Local Government Area, a member of the staff of GAJI, Dorcas Iorkyusa, said the project was aimed at providing protection, education and livelihoods to people living in conflict-ridden communities in Nigeria.
“We have been rendering interventions in accessible local government areas in Benue State since the escalation of conflicts from 2011 to date.
“The main objective of this project is to improve the protection of affected people of concern, restore human dignity and reduce suffering and disruption of Nigerians living in targeted local government areas,” she said.
According to Iorkyusa, with support from the UNDP and the Government of Japan, Benue State and GAJI seeks to embrace and strengthen mechanism for enhancing social cohesion and community security towards early recovery and peace building in conflict-ridden communities in Benue state.
The activities to be implemented are regular risk and resilience analysis; design of responses for enhancing community cohesion and security; peace dialogues to enhance reconciliation and promote tolerance among communities in Agatu, Buruku, Guma and Kwande; and training for capacity building of community security groups, such as the Nigerian Army, Police, DSS, NSCDC and Vigilante.
Others include strengthening of local peace committees, protection and advisory groups and safe spaces for protection and counselling of victims of violence.
Responding, the Chairman of Guma Local Government Council, Mr Caleb Aba, who led members of his council and traditional rulers to the event, described the project as a welcome development.
In his remarks, a traditional ruler (Mue-Ter-Ihyarev) Chief Shonyi Agustine commended GAJI, UNDP and the Japanese Government for bringing succour to his subjects affected by conflicts.
It was gathered that the project, which is centred on peace building, training of victims of conflicts and empowering them to live normal lives, has commenced in Guma, Buruku, Agatu and Kwande local government areas of Benue State.
Addressing gatekeepers and stakeholders at the event, the Executive Director of GAJI, Ms Iveren Sambe, explained that the project was designed to facilitate improvement of social stability, security and mitigate the negative social effects of the conflicts in Agatu, Buruku, Guma and Kwande Local Government Areas through enhanced social cohesion and community security.
“The project has a research, evaluation and an intervention component. The research component is designed to assess the impact of crisis on conflict affected communities, using analysis of risk and resilience through the administration of baseline and end line surveys and design of responses for enhancing community cohesion and security in the communities,” Sambe said.
The intervention component, she noted, is intended to support the creation of social cohesion by way of conducting peace dialogues and strengthening existing peace committees where none exists, as well as conducting training on community security, preventing Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), providing Psychological First Aid (PFA), Trauma Sensitive Healing (TSH) and counselling and healing sessions for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with dignity kits shared to participants at the end of the trainings.
The sensitisation and advocacy event took place across communities in the four local government areas attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, faith based organisations, military and paramilitary personnel, the leaders of Miyetti Allah in Benue State, local government chairmen and their councilors, women and youth leaders, community leaders and leaders of farmers’ associations.
Others are representatives of Internally displaced persons in the communities, representatives of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), people with disabilities, community volunteer guards, market women leaders/trade unions, motorcycle hirers associations, community based organisations, Muslim leaders and international organisations (Red Cross) and the DSS.
The project will see to the return of over 1.5 million IDPs to their ancestral homes in the state, if completed.
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