•Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah
The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and Founder, The Kukah Centre (TKC), Matthew Hassan Kukah, says over 12,000 persons have lost their lives to insecurity in Northwest Nigeria over the past decade.
The cleric also said that 76 per cent of abductions which occurred in Northern Nigeria, occurred in the northwest region of the country, reports Daily Trust.
He said this today in Abuja at the second edition of the Northwest Regional Conference on Women, Peace and Security.
It was organised by the Global Rights Nigeria, with the theme ‘Sustaining Inclusive Peacebuilding Processes in Northwest, Nigeria,’ in partnership with The Kukah Centre, Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative and Community Dialogue Committee and supported by the UK Aid.
“We are told that in the North West alone over 4,500 incidences were recorded in Northern Nigeria, abductions, kidnappings. Over 12,000 people, men, women, children, have lost their lives. 76% of the abductions that are taking place are taking place in the North West as abductions keep overlapping,” Kukah who spoke via zoom said at the event.
He said that the region had become a hotbed of crimes, stressing the importance of women’s empowerment and community resilience in the face of adversity, thus the need for collective action to address the crisis, promote human rights, and restore dignity to affected communities.
He urged communities to develop a greater sense of urgency in addressing insecurity, disregarding religious and political differences.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Global Rights, Ms Abiodun Baiyewu, said the security crisis in the Northwest had grown over the past 10 years.
She said that the regional conference was convened to deliberate on the security crisis threatening Nigeria’s peace and unity, examine the role of social cohesion in peacebuilding, and celebrate the women and men who make peace and security possible in the zone.
She said, “Peacebuilding is a long, tenuous road which none of us can attempt to walk alone. It takes the collective effort of not just the security personnel, community leaders and men, but also of women, young people and old people, indigenes and settlers.”
In her goodwill message, the Executive Director of Partners West Africa –Nigeria (PWAN –Nigeria), Kemi Okenyodo, said women’s inclusion in peacebuilding is not just a matter of equity; it is a proven pathway to more effective conflict resolution and long-term stability.
