By; Sadiq Abubakar Maiduguri
Participants at a community dialogue forum for reconciliation, reintegration and sustainable peace on Monday urged governments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to improve on security in all communities across the state.
Participants at the peace interface organized by Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development held at Community Development Center, Shehuri North of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council also called for the adoption and implementation of transitional justice for the boko Haram repentants reconciliation and reintegration to strengthen peace, reconciliation and sustainability.
The participants recommended monitoring of conduct and behavioral patterns of returnees by government and security agencies as well as community and religious leaders back into the communities for sustainable peace and effective integration.
They were also of the opinion that stigmatization against the returnee repentants should be stopped by the residents rather, love should be shown to the returnees to give them sense of belonging and affection.
Majority of the participants suggested proper channels and procedures for their reintegration and reconciliation under strict measures to ensure nothing contrary happens while others appealed to government and other stakeholders to empower the returnees to make them self reliant and productive.
The participants also recommended the engagement of women into trading and marriage while the men should be engaged in farming and other commercial activities to earn a living while calling on the repentants not to take the law into their hands by being law abiding and obey leaders of the community as well constituted authorities including rules and regulations spelt out by the security agencies in the community including vigilante hunters and CJTF.
Others suggested that the girls should be encouraged and enrolled in schools to continue their education or marry instead of living them doing nothing and without marriage while cautioning the repentants to desist from communicating with their former colleagues in the forest which they described as betrayal and sabotage.
Some of the participants said forgiveness and accepting the repentants genuinely is necessary and important for peaceful coexistence, sustainable development and peace as human beings even though others would not forget what was done to them in the past.
Th participants further advised that sustainable and regular capacity building and orientation by NGOs and government should be emphasized and maintained, especially among the youths who are jobless.
They suggested that a formidable machinery comprising of the community and religious leaders as well as ethnic groups should be participatory in the process and procedure of returning the returnees’ reintegration process for overall acceptability and sustainability of peace and development in the community.
The Village Head of Shehuri North, Zanna Zubairu Dima commended the efforts and support of Allamin Foundation for starting the project in Shehuri North community.
Project Manager Allamin Foundation, Mr. O Samuel said the community dialogue was aimed at gathering opinions and views as feedback for peace building, reconciliation and reintegration of the repentants insurgents back to their communities for a way forward in communities.
He added that the forum was targeted at encouraging communication and interactions among people and communities for peace, progress and development as well find out what the problems and challenges are from the people on the reintegration of the returnees.
Samurl said the dialogue was to ascertain areas of reconciliation and interventions by organisations and governments towards sustaining and establishing formidable peaceful framework inclusive of community leaders, religious, ethnic, women and other groups among others.
