Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has called for the establishment of a national multi-agency system on early warning and early response (EWER) for the prevention of religious crises across the country.

Mr Mutfwang made the call in Abuja on Thursday at the National Christian Leaders FORB Conference.

The conference titled “Defending Religious Freedom as a Gospel Imperative” was organised by Faith and Freedom Africa in partnership with Leadership Empowerment Advocacy and Humanitarian (LEAH) Foundation.

Represented by the attorney general/commissioner for justice, Philemon Daffi, the governor said that sections 10 and 38 (1) (2) (3) of the Nigerian Constitution guarantee the freedom of religion, thought and conscience of individuals and communities.

According to him, these constitutional provisions not only affirm Nigeria’s constitutional commitment to religious liberty but also impose a veritable unalienable obligation on public authority to ensure equality, non-discrimination, and impartial protection.

He said that in spite of the robust guarantees, Nigeria faced perpetual, recurring, religiously premeditated and motivated violence, impunity and complicity for perpetrators.

He also noted that Nigeria still faced discrimination in access to resources and services, thereby culminating in information, economic and kinetic warfare.

Mr Mutfwang said that the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded over 6,000 fatalities in 2023 alone from conflicts often framed in religious and ethnic terms, particularly in the Middle Belt region of the country.

He explained that the EWER system, if established, would be a radical departure from treating religious hostility as a crime and as an aggravating factor in prosecutions.

“To transition from a reactive posture of prosecution to a proactive culture of prevention, the establishment of a national, multi-agency early warning and early response (EWER) system is critical.

“This system, which could be supported by the technical expertise of organisations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will be designed to monitor and mitigate inter-religious tensions from the federal down to the local government level.

“By integrating community reporting, data analysis, and rapid mediation teams comprising representatives from the police, the National Human Rights Commission, and credible interfaith councils, an EWER system provides a tangible mechanism to de-escalate tensions before they erupt into violence,” he said.

The governor said that dedicated units within the ministry of justice for both states and federal should be established to monitor and prosecute religious violence cases.

He proposed amendments to criminal law to address legislative gaps while safeguarding constitutional freedoms.

He said that interfaith dialogue, civic education, and public campaigns against intolerance, as well as independent panels to investigate and reform systemic failures in handling religious violence, should be supported.

“Together, these initiatives form an integrated strategy where early intervention and robust legal accountability reinforce each other to secure the conditions for peaceful religious practice,” he said.

Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the conference, Gloria Pulda, the president of the Leadership Empowerment and Advocacy for Humanitarian (LEAH) Foundation, said that the conference was to bring Christian religious leaders together in one voice against religious violence.

She said that similar conferences were also on the way for Muslims and traditional leaders across the country to sensitise the people to freedom of religion as a human right.

Ms Pulda, also a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Jos, decried Leah Sharibu’s continuous stay in captivity, seven years after the release of the Dapchi girls, because of her faith.

“The fact that she still remains in captivity after seven years is painful. We will continue to demand her release because she represents all of us who are being held and persecuted because of our faith.

“She has been refused freedom for these past seven years; she is still in the hands of her captors, ISIS, just because she refused to denounce her Christian faith. She stood strong and boldly and said, ‘I will not deny Jesus. That’s the only reason why she’s in captivity. All the others were released.’

“So we are reminding the federal government and the international community that Leah Sharibu is still in captivity, and we demand her release. She represents every woman and every child who is in captivity. They deserve to be released, and that is the focus of our advocacy for religious freedom all over,” she said.

 (NAN)