IPCR Seeks Stronger Field Offices as Insecurity Spreads Across Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) is seeking to strengthen its zonal and state peacebuilding offices across Nigeria as banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, communal violence and other security threats expose gaps in the country’s capacity to prevent conflicts before they escalate.
The Institute said inadequate funding, manpower shortages, poor logistics and weak coordination between early-warning systems and response agencies were undermining peacebuilding efforts in several parts of the country, despite growing security pressures on communities.
The initiative is aimed at improving conflict monitoring, mediation, community engagement and rapid response, with the Institute’s field offices expected to play a stronger role in identifying emerging threats and developing locally appropriate interventions.
Director of Zonal and State Peacebuilding Offices, Ambrose Okosun, disclosed this during a preparatory meeting to coordinate a proposed sensitisation programme for the Institute’s zonal and state offices.
Okosun said the meeting was designed to harmonise the objectives, methodologies and logistics of the programme while allowing officers to identify operational challenges and develop strategies suited to the different security conditions in their respective locations.
He said Nigeria’s security challenges were diverse and interconnected, requiring peacebuilding institutions to strengthen their capacity to prevent conflicts, mediate disputes and promote peaceful coexistence.
According to him, the Institute’s zonal and state offices occupy a strategic position because of their proximity to communities, but their effectiveness is frequently constrained by inadequate resources, insufficient training and limited personnel.
The proposed programme is expected to improve officers’ skills in conflict prevention, mediation and peace education, encourage the exchange of best practices and produce practical action plans addressing local drivers of violence.
Reports presented by the zonal offices, however, exposed the scale of the challenges confronting the Institute, with some offices reporting severe staffing and logistical deficiencies that limit their ability to monitor conflicts and engage affected communities.
In the North-Central, the Institute’s North Central II Zonal Office in Jos reported persistent communal violence, farmer-herder tensions, attacks on rural settlements, displacement and disputes over land and other natural resources in Plateau State.
The office identified the March 29, 2026, attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, as a major security incident during the reporting period, highlighting the risks of retaliatory violence and the need for timely intervention.
It called for stronger community-based early-warning mechanisms to ensure that information gathered from residents is verified, communicated to relevant authorities and translated into preventive action.
The office also advocated sustained dialogue between farmers and herders, seasonal conflict-risk mapping and the participation of women, young people, persons with disabilities, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and security agencies in peacebuilding initiatives.
In Kwara State, the Institute reported growing security pressures associated with banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and attacks on rural communities, particularly in vulnerable border areas and locations close to forest corridors.
The reports highlighted the importance of collaboration between formal security agencies and community-based actors, citing a joint operation in Lade, Patigi Local Government Area, in September, which reportedly neutralised four suspected bandits and recovered 35 stolen cattle following an attack on a pastoral settlement.
The abduction of a newlywed couple and four other people along the Eruku-Iyemero border road in September also underscored the risks facing rural routes linking Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states.
The Institute recommended stronger intelligence-sharing arrangements between states, improved forest surveillance, functional community-based early-warning systems and sustained engagement between farming and pastoralist communities.
The resource crisis was particularly evident in the North-West, where the Katsina-based peacebuilding office covering Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states reported that it had only two staff members to coordinate activities across the four states.
The office also lacked an official vehicle for field operations and identified shortages of computers, communication equipment, office furniture and other essential resources as constraints on its ability to conduct research, monitor conflicts and engage communities.
Despite its activities, including community sensitisation, training of community-based reporters and support for conflict early-warning initiatives, the office said its reach remained limited by inadequate operational capacity.
A second North-West office in Kaduna, covering Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa states, similarly reported that insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, rural violence and cult-related activities, continued to threaten communities and livelihoods.
It called for improved inter-agency coordination, intelligence sharing, community policing and expanded peacebuilding interventions, while highlighting limited staffing and the absence of dedicated office facilities.
In the North-East, the Institute identified the continuing Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgency as a major source of insecurity, displacement and livelihood disruption.
Its report documented militant activities around the Lake Chad area, attacks on rural communities and military positions, as well as clashes between farmers and herders.
An attack in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State on October 2 reportedly killed 18 villagers who had gone to collect firewood, while other residents were reported missing.
The report noted that military operations had led to the neutralisation of insurgents, arrests of suspected collaborators and the rescue of civilians, but stressed that sustainable peace would also require addressing poverty, unemployment, limited access to education, perceived marginalisation and inadequate basic services.
In the South-East, the Institute’s January-to-September 2026 report documented incidents involving murder, kidnapping, banditry, cultism, communal disputes, political violence and alleged extrajudicial killings.
The report recorded five communal incidents in Ebonyi State that resulted in 16 deaths, alongside incidents of cult-related violence, murder and banditry in parts of Anambra and Enugu states.
It recommended stronger community engagement, improved conflict monitoring and sustained collaboration between security agencies and local stakeholders to address the region’s different sources of insecurity.
In the South-West, the Institute identified cult-related violence, armed robbery, domestic violence, protests, building collapses, fires and flooding as concerns requiring preventive action and stronger public-safety coordination.
Monitoring reports from Lagos and Ogun states highlighted the need for peaceful management of protests, youth engagement, improved relations between communities and the police, emergency preparedness and stronger protection for vulnerable groups.
The Institute also called for improved early-warning systems in flood-prone communities and better coordination among government agencies, security institutions and community organisations.
Across the six geopolitical zones, the reports pointed to a recurring problem: information about emerging threats does not always translate into timely intervention.
The Institute’s recommendations included strengthening community-level early-warning networks, improving information verification, establishing regular coordination mechanisms and expanding peace education in schools and vulnerable communities.
It also called for greater participation by women and young people, stronger partnerships with traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations and academic institutions, and better engagement between security agencies and residents.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the zonal offices highlighted the need for sustained engagement with political parties, electoral authorities, security agencies and community leaders to prevent political tensions, hate speech, misinformation and election-related violence.
The proposed sensitisation programme is expected to help address some of the identified gaps by improving officers’ technical capacity, strengthening coordination and developing context-specific approaches to conflict prevention.
However, the reports indicate that training alone may not resolve the challenges confronting the Institute’s field operations without adequate funding, personnel, transport and communication equipment.
The broader challenge for IPCR will be to ensure that its strengthened early-warning and peacebuilding structures can turn information from vulnerable communities into timely interventions capable of preventing violence, reducing displacement and protecting livelihoods.
As insecurity continues to affect communities across Nigeria, the Institute’s initiative underscores the need to complement security operations with conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation and sustained efforts to address the social and economic conditions that fuel violence.