Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia
The police authorities in Nasarawa State yesterday organised a sensitisation programme for youths in the state on alternatives to violence as part of the police training on human rights.
Speaking to journalists during the sensitisation programme, which was held at the Police Officers Mess in Lafia, a resource person for the exercise, Mrs. Ogechi Ugo, said the sensitisation exercise was an initiative introduced to address challenging issues of trust and confidence between communities and the police.
Ugo, who is a deputy director of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), said: “This is coming as a backdrop to what happened in 2020 regarding the #EndSARS protests.
“So, we are reexamining issues and trying to addressing them. What we are doing is to introduce these youths to alternative to violence that will make safety of our communities.
“This is part of PRAWAS human rights training for the police. So we have found that training police alone would not solve the problem. We equally need to engage the public also so that there would be a balance, and that confidence that is required for the police to provide security for us would be achieved.”
One of the participants in the sensitisation programme, Mr. Keffas Tiga, told journalists that all the youths umbrellas in the state were in attendance to learn how to live peacefully in their various communities.
Tiga, who is the Nasarawa State chairman of the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), added: “You know, Nasarawa State didn’t really join the #EndSARS ovement, but one thing we are trying to do is to learn more on the need to live in peace.”
