By Gabriel Yough
Cleen Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has begun a two- day sensitisation training for the establishment of Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) team, to mitigate violence among communities in Taraba.
The Acting Executive Director of the Foundation, Mrs Ruth Olofin, while addressing the community representatives at the training in Jalingo on Tuesday, said the project was conceived out of the necessity for peace in vulnerable communities.
Olofin, represented by Mr Olaniyi Olumayowa, an official of the foundation, said it was interested in mitigating recurrent crimes in Nigeria, and putting community members at the driving seat of peace building in their communities.
She said that the foundation primarily was targeting partnership with community members to ensure they propagated peace before assistance from conventional security, in an event of violence.
“The purpose of this project is to mitigate violence amongst our communities and allow peace a place to exist.
“The Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) is to ensure that violence amongst communities is handled at the early stage.
“Community members where the incidents normally happen are our primary partners in carrying out the sensitisation,” she said.
Olofin said selection of the communities in Taraba was done through assessment mapping, adding that the project was being executed at present in four states of Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr Ammed Rufai, who spoke on behalf of the Police Command in Taraba, pledged active participation of the officers and men in the project.
He promised to ensure violence and insecurity were was mitigated in Taraba communities and the state.
Responding, the Chairmen of Wukari Local Government, Mr Daniel Adi, and that of Gassol Local Government, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, hosts of the project, assured the foundation of their people’s readiness to ensure the success of the project. (NAN)
