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The federal government on Friday inaugurated a task team on Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) to coordinate and come up with nationally owned approach to DDR as part efforts to address terrorism, banditry and other forms of armed violence in Nigeria.
Inaugurating the committee on behalf of the National Security Adviser, the national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka, said the establishment of the Task Team is timely.
“As we all know, initiatives such as Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, the Borno Model, the Presidential Amnesty Programme and state-led rehabilitation and reintegration efforts have yielded important lessons.
“They have also reinforced the need for common national standards, clearly defined responsibilities and stronger coordination in addressing terrorism, banditry and other forms of armed violence,” he said.
Laka said the task team would strengthen cooperation among the NCTC, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Office for Strategic Preparedness, and Resilience and relevant state committees.
He added that it would engage government institutions, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, development partners, and the private sector to clarify responsibilities, address overlapping mandates, assess institutional readiness, and support sustainable livelihoods.
“The team is expected to build institutional consensus, secure effective partnerships, resolve coordination barriers and lay the foundation for a Whole-of-Government Working Group and an implementable national roadmap,” he said.
He said the NCTC, with support from UK: SPRiNG, planned to convene a high-level national retreat to clarify responsibilities and address capacity, legal and operational requirements, implementation timelines, financing and partnerships.
“Its work must complement existing mandates rather than create another layer of bureaucracy,” he said.
According to him, the task team will strengthen cooperation among the centre, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience and relevant state committees.
He said the team would also engage government institutions, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, development partners and the private sector to clarify roles, address overlaps, assess readiness and support sustainable livelihoods.
“The team is expected to build institutional consensus, secure effective partnerships, resolve coordination barriers and lay the foundation for a Whole-of-Government Working Group and an implementable national roadmap,” he said.
He added that with support from UK: SPRiNG, the centre intended to convene a High-Level National Retreat to clarify responsibilities and advance decisions on capacity, legal and operational requirements, sequencing, financing and partnerships.
“Its work must complement existing mandates rather than create another layer of bureaucracy,” he emphasised.
Laka said the centre was further exploring an international partners’ group and a national fund for DDR, Peace and Security to coordinate partnerships, mobilise resources transparently and sustain financing.
“All interventions will be victim-centred, lawful and accountable,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the team, the Director, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), NCTC and DDR task force Lead, Amb. Abimbola Wonosikou, thanked the national coordinator for the confidence reposed in them.
Wonosikou said the responsibility came at a critical time as Nigeria continued to advance comprehensive and sustainable approaches to violent extremism and associated security challenges.Nigerian news
“We accept this responsibility with a deep sense of commitment, patriotism and dedication to serve our nation.
“We assure the national coordinator that the task team will work diligently and collaboratively to advance the objectives of the national DDR initiative and support the effective implementation of the emerging DDR architecture,” she assured.
Wonosikou added that the inauguration represented an important step towards strengthening institutional coordination, harmonising existing DDR initiatives and clarifying roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.
She however, requested approval to co-opt additional relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies when necessary.
“We consider this flexibility necessary to ensure that the task team can respond effectively to emerging institutional needs, technical requirements and address gaps in institutional representation,” she said.
The task team lead pledged to promote teamwork, inclusivity and results-oriented engagement.
She said the team would work collectively to ensure that their recommendations and activities contributed meaningfully to national efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism and promote sustainable peace and security.
“We accept this assignment with humility and determination, and we pledge our commitment to delivering on the mandate entrusted to us,” she said.
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