by Akan Ido

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has today inaugurated the Nigeria Police Committee on the Prevention and Management of Communal Clashes. This action is geared towards bringing to a halt the pervasive communal clashes that have plagued different parts of the nation.

The committee inaugurated today was earlier set up on 27 October, 2014 by the IGP.

The terms of reference of the Committee include but not limited to the followings;

– To encourage and facilitate dialogue among warring parties.
– Conduct mediation meetings with aggrieved parties with a bid to peaceably resolving declared differences.
– To conduct investigation into incidents where necessary.
– Developing and maintaining frameworks and processes for the prevention and effective management of communal clashes.
– Mediation and application of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to avert clashes and or resolve observed/reported communal disputes before they escalate.
– Conduct assessment of extent of communal clashes within the country and make recommendation to the Inspector-General of Police on the role of the Nigeria Police in providing security and public safety in trouble areas.

The Committee is co-chaired by six Assistant Inspectors-General of Police drown from six geo-political regions of the country; AIG Christopher Dega, AIG Mohamed Jinjiri Abubakar, AIG Adeola Adeleke Adeniyi, AIG Felix Osita Uyanna, AIG Yahaya Garba Ardo, AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu and CP Rasheed Akintunde who serves as the Committee Secretary.

While inaugurating the Committee, the IGP charged members to bring their wealth of experience in ensuring that the incidences of communal clashes in the country are brought to a non-pathological level.