Civil Defense better poised to end violent extremism- Gana

The Commandant General (CG) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, has said that the agency is positioned to end all forms of violent extremism in the country.

He stated this Thursday in Abuja during a workshop organized by the agency, in partnership with Royal Initiative against Poverty & Starvation (RIAPS), with theme: “preventing and countering violent extremism for security agencies, civil society organizations and media.”

Represented on the occasion by officer in charge of Crisis Management Directorate, ACG Okey Felix,  Muhammadu said there is need for human capacity building workshop to condense and enhance humanitarian support to victims of violent extremism in Nigeria.

He said: “The prevalence of violent extremism, especially in North eastern Nigeria requires adequate conflict prevention and response systems with a view to addressing underlying and emergent conditions that drive violent extremism in the country. The role of security agencies, civil society organisations and the media is crucially vital to efforts aimed at preventing and responding to violent extremism.

“The NSCDC has been proactive in countering violent extremism through formation of relevant departments namely Peace and Conflict Management; Disaster Management; Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear Explosive Response as well as Counter Terrorism Departments. These Departments have been contributing greatly in preventing and countering violent extremism as it relates to their individual mandates.”

Also speaking, the founder of RIAPS, Mr James Okpanachi, said that violent extremism is a symptom and an offshot of poverty in the country and that the Foundation is in partnership with relevant stakeholders to end the menace, which he referred to as being endemic.

“If we are going to solve a problem, we need to have the right resolve and be persistent and consistent.  When we call something an epidemic, it means it has gone into the fabrics, veins and arteries of the nation. It’s not a flash in the pan and won’t go away, because we wish it. So, we are in the right direction and we need to keep going, planning, strategizing, implementing and acting,” he said.

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