The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) is strengthening its zonal and state peacebuilding offices across Nigeria to improve conflict prevention, early warning, community engagement and response to emerging security threats.
The initiative comes amid persistent insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, communal clashes, farmer-herder conflicts, cultism and other criminal activities threatening lives and peaceful coexistence.
Director of Zonal and State Peacebuilding Offices, Ambrose Okosun, disclosed this at a preparatory meeting organised to coordinate a sensitisation programme aimed at improving the operational capacity of the Institute’s field offices.
Okosun said the meeting would harmonise programme objectives, methodologies and logistics while enabling the offices to identify challenges and develop strategies suited to their respective environments.
He noted that inadequate funding, insufficient training and limited personnel continued to constrain the effectiveness of the offices, despite their strategic role in preventing conflicts at the community level.
The sensitisation programme is expected to strengthen officers’ skills in mediation, conflict prevention and peace education, while promoting the exchange of best practices and development of practical action plans.
Reports presented by the zonal offices highlighted widespread security challenges and operational gaps across the country.
In the North-Central, the Jos office reported communal violence, farmer-herder tensions, displacement and land disputes in Plateau State, stressing the need for timely intervention and stronger community-based early warning systems.
In Kwara State, the Institute identified banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling as major concerns, recommending improved forest surveillance, inter-state intelligence sharing and dialogue between farming and pastoralist communities.
Across the North-West, including Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa states, reports highlighted banditry, kidnapping, rural violence and cult-related activities. The offices also cited shortages of personnel, vehicles, communication equipment and other resources as constraints on their operations.
In the North-East, the continuing Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgencies were identified as major sources of insecurity, displacement and livelihood disruption. The Institute stressed that sustainable peace would require addressing poverty, unemployment, limited access to education and inadequate basic services alongside security operations.
The South-East report documented incidents involving communal disputes, murder, kidnapping, banditry, cultism and political violence, recommending stronger conflict monitoring and collaboration between security agencies and community stakeholders.
In the South-West, concerns included cult-related violence, armed robbery, domestic violence, flooding and other public safety risks. The reports emphasised youth engagement, emergency preparedness and improved community-police relations.
Across the regions, common challenges included inadequate funding, limited manpower, poor logistics, weak coordination and gaps between early warning and effective response.
The offices recommended stronger community-based warning systems, regular conflict coordination, expanded peace education and greater participation of women and young people in peacebuilding.
They also called for stronger partnerships with traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, academic institutions and security agencies to promote dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the offices stressed the need for sustained engagement with political parties, electoral authorities and community leaders to prevent hate speech, misinformation, political tensions and election-related violence.
The proposed sensitisation programme is expected to improve coordination among the Institute’s offices, strengthen professional capacity and support evidence-based approaches to conflict prevention and resolution.
However, its success will depend on translating proposed strategies into practical interventions backed by adequate funding, personnel, logistics and sustained community engagement.
Through stronger zonal and state structures, IPCR aims to improve Nigeria’s capacity to identify emerging threats, prevent conflicts from escalating and promote peaceful coexistence in vulnerable communities.
