Katsina communities ravaged by insecurity trained on warning signs

One hundred and sixty participants from four local government areas ravaged by banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in Katsina State have been trained on early warning signals and response to check security challenges in the areas.

The training, which was conducted by the Interfaith Mediation Centre in Nigeria, with support from the Mexican Government and USAid, aims at proffering sustainable solution to all insecurity at the community level.

The Co-Executive Director of the centre, Imam Muhammad Nuraini Ashafa, said: “With the spirit of community policing, with the spirit of neighbourhood watch, which are working in other parts of the country, members of the community who serve as community observers will be able to identify early warning signals in terms of the movement of these criminal elements and they will be able to provide early response to nip the problem in the bud.”

Also speaking, another Co-Executive Director, Rev. James Movel Wuye, said the programme would also help in facilitating a process in which victims of insecurity were able to manage pain and trauma.

He said, “We are also going to connect them to a hub which operates nationally where they can report for immediate response for the mitigation, management and prevention of conflict and violence.”

The Coordinator of the programme in Katsina State, Hajiya Bilkisu Muhammad Kaikai, said the participants were drawn from four LGAs: Katsina, Batsari, Jibiya and Safana.