Human Rights Commission engage stakeholders on sustainable peace in the northeast.
The Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission Mr Tony Ojukwu says integrating the formal and traditional justice system is the cornerstone to achieve sustainable peace in conflict affected areas.
Mr Ojukwu stated this during a stakeholders consultative meeting on promoting reconciliation, reintegration and transitional justice in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
The Executive Secretary remarked the Boko Haram insurgency has seen the worst forms of human rights violations in the history of the county that has brought untold physical, economic, emotional and psychological losses on millions of victims of insurgency and their families.
According to him, military operations alone cannot end the conflict, hence the need to adopt transitional, restitutive and restorative justice in the affected communities to achieve the desired result.
“Resolving the conflicts around Boko Haram is not only the problem of the Nigerian military alone, is also not the problem of government alone, the citizens must be involved. The military cannot do much without the cooperation of the communities, intelligence gathering look at the beautiful work civilian Joint Taskforce is doing “.
Mr Tony Ojukwu noted that to achieve the outcomes of the project, the National Human Rights Commission is seeking the partnership of state governments, civil society and traditional authorities to mobilise communities towards reconciliation and building the capacity of partners involved.
He explained that the pilot project will be implemented in seven most affected communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
North East Head UNDP Mizuko Yokoi stressed the need for effective inclusion of women and youths in the peace building process.
Representatives of governments of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states all promised to put in place policy frameworks for the effective implementation of the project.
The Entry Dialogue on Reconciliation, Reintegration and Transitional Justice was organized by the National Human Rights Commission in partnership with the United Nation Development Programme UNDP.
Dauda Iliya
