The country representative of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, Ijeoma Nwafor, has canvassed for the training of police officers, traditional and religious leaders in conflict mediation in Nigeria.

Ms Nwafor stated this on Monday in Abuja.

She said that the call had become necessary because most Nigerians run to the police, traditional and religious leaders for mediation anytime they had conflicts.

“For instance, most people run to the police to resolve their justice needs before they look for lawyers. The question is: that policeman, is he a certified mediator? Some equally run to traditional rulers, pastors and their wives to help resolve their justice needs. That you are a pastor or the wife to a pastor doesn’t make you a mediator.

“Since we know that some people meet these people, it will be nice that mediation is included in the curriculum of the Police Academy and traditional and religious leaders trained in this area too,” she said.

Ms Nwafor, who called for more innovation in the country’s justice sector, suggested that lawyers could be assigned to supervise traditional and religious leaders in local conflict resolution activities.

According to her, Nigeria produces more than 7,000 lawyers each year, and innovation in the sector can create more opportunities.

Ms Nwafor said that, though justice administration in the country is improving, there is still a need to accommodate the informal sector, as it plays a significant role in conflict resolution.

According to her, HiiL is currently concerned with land justice, family justice, gender-based violence resolution and prevention, and the resolution of farmer/herder conflicts.

Ms Nwafor said that the organisation works in partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Federation of Women Lawyers Nigeria, the National Judicial Institute, state governments, and some local non-governmental organisations.

She said that though it was not part of the organisation’s mandate to intervene in security-related conflicts, the infusion of ethnicity and criminal elements into farmer-herder conflicts had resulted in an increase in conflict in the country.

(NAN)