The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has called for a community-driven reintegration and reconciliation process for “repentant” members of non-state armed groups in the North-East.

Mr Ribadu made the call at the launch of European Union Support for Disengagement, Review, Reintegration and Reconciliation of Persons Formerly Associated with NSAGs in North-East Nigeria (SD3R) on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that his office would continue to coordinate efforts towards the prevention of violent extremism and offer counselling services to achieve successful reintegration and reconciliation of former NSAGs and associates.

The NSA welcomed the EU initiative, saying it is imperative to sensitise communities, conduct town hall meetings and enhance the capacity of government agencies and communities to prevent the emergence of new conflicts.

He said the SD3R project was conceived to promote peace and stability in the North-East through a community-driven reintegration and reconciliation process.

Mr Ribadu explained that the project would support authorities in investigating and prosecuting individuals accused of terrorism offences in the region to ensure accountability and redress.

Mr Ribadu commended the governors of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe for creating an enabling environment in their respective states for the project’s first phase.

He said, “It is important to note that the SD3R project is a continuation of the first one, the S2R project, being implemented in the three states by a consortium of four United Nations agencies.

“These are International Organisation for Migration, UNESEF, UNDP and UNODC, which came on board as a new partner to support the criminal justice system component of the project.

“It is also to be noted that the excellent cooperation and collaboration between the Government of Nigeria, EU and UN system on the DDRR and other projects led to the success of the first phase for us at the office for the NSA.”

Governor Babagana Zulum commended the stakeholders for identifying the root causes of insurgency in the North-East, saying that ending insurgency in the region would lead to ending it across the country.

Mr Zulum said states in the North-East must take ownership of the projects, which were designed to address the social, economic and political dimensions of the crisis.

He said some of the root causes of the insurgency were poverty, climate vulnerabilities, and infrastructure deficits and advocated a bottom-up approach to addressing the crisis and handling the resultant humanitarian crisis.

The EU’s head of delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, said healing and reconciliation could be achieved in the subregion if everyone worked together and leveraged collective expertise.

Ms Isopi said the EU was happy to continue supporting the process, hoping it would rebuild broken bridges within families and communities.

According to her, the project is part of the broader EU support to the Lake Chad region, which amounts to €2.5 billion since 2014, while its implementation would leverage the expertise and experience of the four UN agencies involved. 

(NAN)