The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution has called for stronger field operations across Nigeria, warning that inadequate personnel, funding and logistics are weakening efforts to detect and prevent violence before it escalates.
Ambrose Okosun, the institute’s Director of Zonal and State Peacebuilding Offices, outlined the challenges at a preparatory meeting for a proposed sensitization programme. The initiative aims to improve conflict monitoring, mediation, community engagement and the exchange of information between field offices and response agencies.
Reports from the six geopolitical zones described different threats, including farmer-herder disputes and communal attacks in the North-Central, kidnapping and banditry in parts of the North-West, insurgent violence in the North-East, and kidnapping, cultism and communal disputes in the South-East. South-West offices also identified public-safety concerns, including cult-related violence and flooding.
The Katsina-based office covering four North-West states reported having only two staff members and no official vehicle, a shortage that limits its ability to travel, gather information and work with communities. Other offices identified gaps in communications equipment, office space and coordination.
The institute said community-level early-warning systems would be more effective if reports were verified promptly and shared with agencies able to intervene. It advocated stronger participation by women, young people, traditional institutions, religious leaders and civil society groups.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the institute also called for preventive engagement to reduce hate speech, misinformation and political violence. It acknowledged that training programmes alone would not solve the problem without sustained staffing, transport and operational support.
