Forum Ends High Level Consultation On Peace, Security In Kaduna

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA-  The Network of Peacebuilders (NPB) Kaduna, has ended a one day high level consultation on peace and security in Kaduna State  aimed at mitigating and surmounting security challenges faced within the State.

The consultation was supported by Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC), under the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) program, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development ( CAFOD) under the Zaman Tare project, Aid Foundation (AF) in collaboration with several Peace NGOs and Stakeholders that participated to share ideas and recommendations that will yield to peace and security in Kaduna State.


The one Day conference which held on Thursday 28th May, 2021 at the conference hall of the Ministry of Budget and Planning Commission, Kaduna, had in attendance, the Commissioner for Internal security and Home Affairs, representative of Bureau of interfaith Affairs among others.

While giving an update on the security  in the state towards a peaceful society, Hon Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan hinted on the security situation in the State and what the government is doing in collaboration with security agencies to address the spate of banditry, kidnapping and other challenges bedevilling the State.

Speaking on ” lnsecurity and its implication to peace in Kaduna State ” Professor Usman Mohammed, Department of Political Science, Kaduna State University (KASU), gave an overview of how it use to be in the past in terms of religious and cultural harmony owing to the inclusive and morally based education they got through the missionary, irrespective of faiths which he pointed out, is now no more, hence his call for a return to that era.

He also called on government to do more to ensure that citizens are secured and given the right atmosphere to live together unlike the segregated communities we now have in the State;  with a call on government to create a special communities for habitation comprising people of different religious and cultural persuasions to break those barriers.

Similarly, Mr Emmanuel Zwahu, while speaking on “The Roles of youth to promote peace in a fragile society, a case study of Kaduna state “.  noted that our society is already very fragile” and to achieve peace we simply need to carry the young people and youths along on issues of peace and nation building.

According to him, young people can be impatient when faced with challenges which may  not actually be their fault; but society’s,  ” so it is important for each society to carry them along, so that they can have a feeling that they have a stake and they will be able to sit down and work for the peace “he added.

Sheikh Sani Adam, the Deputy Imam, Waff Road Mosque Forum, during his presentation, said religious leaders and institutions should sensitize and educate their followers on the need for peaceful coexistence that will bring about lasting solution to the security challenges witnessed in Kaduna State.

In the same vein, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, the Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja said one of the solutions to address the problem is through religious teaching.

He also affirmed that other issues are the lack of openness by the government and individuals. He said politicians are also a major problem to the society because of the way the use thugs during political campaigns and other functions,  adding that another bane is corruption which has been the order of the day.

Responding the Peace building Governance Officer of CAFOD, Mr Daniel Agapaila, said the essence of the gathering basically, is to have a forum where people dialogue over the Peace architecture of Kaduna state, looking at its interreligious perspective and how they can strengthen the Peace that is ongoing in the state.

“I see a huge work that all the participants are doing in their various organizations, it is something that is very laudable and as an organization, CAFOD, we really support this; we are ardent believers of what they are doing in the Peace architecture of Kaduna ” he stressed

According to him, ” by the end of this consultation issues will be dialogued over and discussed and then thrashed out and understanding will be strengthened and grey areas highlighted and people will go into implementing those concerns of the people that would increase the Peace” he stated.

The consultation is a continuous effort to ensure that peace is sustained for the progress of the citizens in and around communities in the entire State.