International Alert, CJID Train 150 Sokoto Journalists on Conflict-Sensitive Reporting

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

International Alert, in partnership with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), has convened a two-day Conflict Sensitivity Training for journalists and media practitioners in Sokoto State as part of efforts to strengthen responsible journalism and support conflict prevention.

The training, held under the Resilience, Engagement, and Conflict-Prevention for At-Risk Populations’ Protection in Sokoto State (RECAP Project), is funded by the European Union. It is designed to equip media professionals with skills to report conflict accurately and avoid amplifying unverified information.

Sanusi Audu , programme manager international Alert, said approximately 150 participants drawn from radio, print, online and digital media are attending.

The cohort includes reporters, editors, news managers, radio presenters, social media influencers, digital content creators, community and campus media practitioners, and citizen reporters.

Speaking ahead of the engagement, Remikat Blessing Ayuba , a coordinator Recap Consortium noted that the training responds directly to findings from the RECAP Peace and Conflict Analysis. The analysis identified unemployment and poverty as the dominant drivers of conflict in Sokoto State.

The report also flagged the spread of unverified rumours, identity-based narratives and politicized interpretations across digital and broadcast platforms as factors that deepen mistrust and contribute to tension in communities.

According to the organizers, the curriculum will focus on conflict-sensitive journalism and Do-No-Harm approaches, narrative framing, disinformation and rumour management, and the threat of AI-generated disinformation. Participants will also be trained on digital verification and OSINT techniques.

Other areas to be covered include SGBV-sensitive reporting, gender and social inclusion, peace-promoting journalism, as well as the safety and wellbeing of journalists covering insecurity.

Sanusi Audu, Project Manager of International Alert Nigeria, spoke on International Alert’s role in the engagement and its broader peace building objectives under the RECAP Project.

The training will adopt a practical, case-based approach using real Sokoto-based material. Sessions will include case analysis, verification exercises, peer critique, group reflection, and the development of individual editorial action plans to strengthen reporting practices.

As part of the outputs, organizers will launch a Community of Practice for participating media practitioners to sustain collaboration beyond the training. They will also produce a conflict-sensitive reporting manual in English and Hausa, alongside a pocket verification and narrative-framing checklist aimed at improving the quality of media coverage on insecurity in the state.

On part his part the Spokesperson of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ( ACF) Professor Tukur Muhammad Baba, has urged journalists to approach the coverage of conflicts with deeper understanding of context, warning that conflicts that appear similar on the surface often have vastly different causes, dynamics and implications.

Speaking on the imperatives of conflict-sensitive reporting, Professor Baba said journalists must first grasp the particular “conflict ecology” before deciding how to frame, investigate and report any crisis.

He stressed that responsible journalism demands avoidance of simplistic narratives, stereotyping and language that could deepen existing divisions, adding that reporters must pay attention to who is speaking, whose voices are missing, what interests are involved, and how a story may affect communities already living with tension.

The ACF spokesperson further noted that conflict-sensitive journalism is not about suppressing the truth, but about presenting it objectively, responsibly and within its proper context. According to him, the goal is to ensure that reportage does not unnecessarily fuel conflict while still upholding the public’s right to accurate and balanced information.

Also speaking the Sultan of Sokoto , Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar represented by Waziri Sokoto, prof Sambo Wali Junaidu said there is no meaningful development without peace.

He urged Journalists to be the agents of change that promote peace in the society.