THE National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National
Security Adviser (ONSA), is convening a 4-day Technical Workshop on
Amnesty Management, Deradicalisation and Community-Based Reintegration, in Abuja, from January 31 to February 3, 2023, in
collaboration with International Alert, Nigeria.
Part of the lessons learnt from complementing the Nigerian Government’s
kinetic operations with soft approaches is that all peace-building stages,
such as Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) require
legislation, ownership and constant review. This technical workshop is,
therefore, designed to contribute to policy, build skills, and enhance the
capacity of institutions to effectively implement DDR programmes in an
ever-evolving conflict space, and set the pace for the review of the Policy
Framework and National Action Plan (PFNAP) on Preventing and
Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Through a collaborative problem-based approach, delegates to the Workshop will brainstorm on how to promote collaborative learning and establish a shared purpose for advancing DDR policy and practice in
Nigeria. This will enable partners, participants and other actors to have a
thorough strategic and operational level understanding of the concept, approaches and new practices in the effective planning, implementation and coordination of DDR.
In June 2022, ONSA launched a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for
effective implementation of the Policy Framework and National Action Plan
on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE). As extremist
ideologies and activities play a fundamental role in the recruitment of members into violent groups, the launching of Nigeria’s P/CVE marked the beginning of a process that would not only counter the messaging of violent groups but also prevent them from attracting fresh recruits.
DDR is a complex process that aims at re-establishing the state’s
governance structures and is fundamentally a precondition for ending
armed conflict, securing stabilisation and initiating a process leading to
sustainable development.
NCTC, in collaboration with bilateral and multilateral partners and support
from the International Alert Nigeria, will use the opportunity of the
Workshop to assess the ongoing National DDR programmes and related
activities, in line with the National Policy on Preventing and Countering
Violent Extremism.
Thus, participants are expected to examine lessons, challenges,
opportunities and coordination frameworks of the DDR process from other
countries, and consider policy priorities and key initiatives on Transitional
Justice, Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of the low risk
associates in conflict settings.
Taking into cognisance, the Federal Government’s approach of whole-of-
Government and Whole-of-Society in its Counter- terrorism efforts,
participants were drawn from various stakeholder groups, including
Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Academics, Security and
Research Institutions.
Others are: the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); Tradition Institutions;
youth and women orgnaisations.
