‘Prevention of Violent Extremism Must be Local, Multi-dimensional’

. Lawmaker urges security strategy review  to halt killings in Plateau

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka, yesterday stated that for the prevention of violent extremism to be effective, it must be local, contextual, and multi-dimensional in its approach. 

Lawmaker Calls for Review of Security Strategy to Halt Killings in Plateau

He also noted that development solutions, economic inclusion, social services, and governance are central to preventing terrorism, banditry, and violent extremism. 

This is just as  a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Bukar, has called for a review of the nation’s security strategy to halt the incessant killings in the state.

 General Laka spoke at the official opening of the maiden National Summit on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) in Abuja.

General Laka, who was the keynote speaker, also stated that security responses must be rights-respecting and well-coordinated. 

Restating that violent extremism will not be solved by any one institution acting alone, he emphasised that it is a collective endeavour that demanded clarity of policy, rigour of evidence, and the humility to learn from communities that are the first line of defence. 

Represented by the Director of Policy and Strategy at the NCTC, Commodore Ahmed Abubakar Madawaki, the national coordinator regretted that institutional fragmentation sometimes undermines coherence, and that limited subnational budgets constrain implementation, as the digital space continues to expand threats in ways that nations are still learning to counter. 

He noted that the reintegration and rehabilitation of affected individuals remain sensitive and complex tasks, requiring careful, community-led design. 

 General Laka added that socio-economic drivers such as youth unemployment, climate stress, and exclusion continue to create conditions of vulnerability.

 He stated: “In the Sahel, porous borders and transnational militant networks produce spillover effects. Globally, the rise of online radicalisation and the use of digital tools to recruit, finance, and coordinate means that geography no longer constrains influence. Understanding these patterns is thus critical. Government must resource prevention; security agencies must adhere to rights-based practices; civil society and media must amplify credible narratives; and development partners and the private sector must make long-term investments in communities.” 

He urged participants to be bold in their recommendations, practical in their commitments, and accountable in follow-through. 

 Stressing that the work ahead requires sustained financing, technical capacity, and trust-building, the national coordinator invited additional partners from the private sector and philanthropic organisations to join efforts to fund locally-led, scalable solutions.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Joseph Ochogwu, stated that violent extremism continues to mutate-crossing borders, exploiting vulnerabilities, and undermining the foundations of peace, development, and human dignity.

“In Nigeria and across the Sahel, we are witnessing new patterns of radicalisation, the rise of hybrid threats, and the deepening impact of socio-economic and political grievances,” he said. 

These realities, he added, demand not only vigilance but also innovation, collaboration, and a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the PAVE Network – PCVE-KIRH, Jaye Gaskia, regretted that structural factors and triggers enabling the mobilisation of grievances and recruitment into terrorism or sympathy for violent extremism are also present across territories in West Africa and the Sahel.

Meanwhile,   a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Bukar, has called for a review of the nation’s security strategy to halt the incessant killings in Plateau State.

He stated that the military and other security agencies cannot continue with the same strategy and expect different results, lamenting that the senseless killings of villagers in the state have continued for over a decade.

The Plateau lawmaker made this call at the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action

(JISRA) Closeout,  organised by Search for Common Ground, a civil society organisation and its partners  in Abuja

He praised JISRA for uniting communities and promoting dialogue, stressing that peace and security cannot be left to the government alone.

 “We have suffered religious crises, communal clashes, and now criminal attacks for decades. The sad reality is that lives are still being lost. Communities must wake up, adopt these interfaith strategies, and work with youth and religious leaders to reduce these issues to a minimal level,” he said.

 Bukar noted that the programme had helped communities in Plateau come together to reason rather than pick up arms and go to war.

According to him, “I think JISRA and its partners have done remarkably well in bringing people together, engaging and sensitising them.

Like the traditional ruler said, we still have a long way to go, but we have reached a certain level.”

The lawmaker stressed that peace building requires a collective effort beyond government institutions.

“Peace and security are everybody’s business. If you leave it to the federal and state governments alone, it will not be sufficient,” he said.

The Country Director of Search for Common Ground Nigeria, Mr. Karno Ouattara, said young peace builders are rewriting stories of division in Kaduna and Plateau through JISRA.

He said the project had left behind lasting legacies and had shown that peace is possible when communities choose dialogue over division.

 According to him, in Plateau and Kaduna, barriers have been broken, trust restored, and collaboration flourished.

 Implemented since 2021 in Plateau and Kaduna States with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ouattara said the JISRA project had brought together Search, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), and the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre (DREP).

 The Project Manager  for JISRA at Search for Common Ground Nigeria, Suchet Musa, said the five-year programme has successfully brought divided communities together and could be expanded to other states.

Musa said the initiative had received positive feedback for bridging divides between Christians and Muslims in crisis-prone communities.

 Global Project Support at Search, Julie Churchill, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to promoting dialogue and reducing tensions among communities in Nigeria under JISRA.

 Churchill said the organisation has been helping local partners drive grassroots peace building.