The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights on Tuesday launched its final report on integrated approach to building peace in Nigeria’s farmer/herders crisis project in middle belt Nigeria.
The report among other recommendations called for a closed working tie between the security agencies , local vigilantes and youth groups for an effective early warning of crisis and early response to security situations in the state.
Speaking shortly before the launching the Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission Mr. Tony Ojukwu (SAN) said federal government was able to reduce the fatality of the farmers, herders crisis in Benue due to a strategy designed to identify the root cause i.e, ethnicity and religion.
He said part of the strategy was to identify early warning issues that sparked off the quarrel and deal with them .
The project was one of the interventions the commission had taken up with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the middle belt to mitigate the vulnerability of the people and ensure peace building among the communities as well as monitor reportage of extra judicial killing by state and non-state actors.
“Our collective action will spur a new line of thought and desirable solution in other troubled areas concerning human rights approach to peace building initiative,” he said.
Ojukwu further disclosed that practice such as sex for food , domestic violence, and neglect of elderly and lactating mother are embedded in gender-based violence, discrimination, and substantive inequality for women and children.
Human Rights monitors were deployed in 2019 to 15 local governments areas in Benue State namely : Agatu, Buruku, Gboko, Human, Gwer East, Gwer West, Katsina – Ala, Kwande, Logo, Makurdi, Ogbadibo, Oju, Otukpo,Tarka and Ukum local government areas which were the epic of farmers / herders crises in the state.
The monitors have helped to update on rights abuse/violations , attacks and other incidents of violence affecting the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the host communities.
The final report on integrated approach to building peace in Nigeria’s farmer/herders crisis also called for continuous and constant holding of town hall meeting by NHRC officers and monitors with stakeholders to still the sense of sustainability of peace.
It further called for strong linkages in the communities through formation of Communities Peace Advocates that are knowledgeable in human rights issues to identify early warning of crisis for proactive prevention .