AT least, 123 schools have reportedly been closed down completely in Katsina State due to activities of bandits and other criminal elements terrorizing citizens of the State.
Similarly, a total of 58 healthcare facilities across the state not even the dispensaries are not working according to the State Government.
The Special Advisor to Governor Dikko Radda on Victims of Banditry and IDPs, Sa’idu Ibrahim Danja disclosed this on Thursday in Katsina at the launch of the Project Steering Committee for the International Organization For Migration’s “Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation in Northwest Nigeria”.
“Access to justice is no longer there also. However, the state resorted to the use of multidoor courts in those areas. If you reconcile the two parties in the conflict, what can you do about their livelihood the farmers have lost everything and the pastoralists lost their cattle with their heir environment tattered.
“We have a strata in the district heads and LGAs levels, they do contain a lot of arbitration, so our work is going to be easy when we integrate all.
“Let there be an exclusive method of uplift, it will help and I believe the issue in this area of IDPs is going to be addressed.
“In the area of livelihood, in the field of women security and children is another area. Most women need access to healthcare, but they lost it; they need access to sexual and reproductive health services, is not there, and even antenatal and postnatal activities are not in existence in those areas. That’s why the Ministry of Health needs to be part of the struggle,” he noted.
Earlier in his welcome address, the International Organization For Migration (IOM), Project Manager, Jeon Nahesi, explained that the overall objective of the project is to reduce community violence, promote locally-driven peace initiatives, and mitigate conflicts over natural resources in Katsina State of North-West, Nigeria.
He recalled that North-West has been experiencing pockets of conflict since 2014 when the conflict increased in magnitude.
In this figure, Katsina State has the highest number of Internally Displaced Persons, leading with 21 percent, where a total of 252, 268 persons have been displaced across 368 locations, followed by Zamfara which has 156, 416 Displaced Persons in 138 locations.
In the same vein, Kaduna has 108, 390 displaced persons in 298 locations, Sokoto has 65, 393 displaced persons in 160 locations and Kano has 27, 058 displaced persons in 184 locations, respectively.
In Katsina State, local communities, particularly local government areas like Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa, and Kankara, have grappled with the profound and lasting impacts of conflicts, including issues related to banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and communal disputes
Amidst the adverse effects of these conflicts, the devastating impact of climate change on land and water resources has further heightened the vulnerability of these communities.
The situation in the state is notably complex, involving various factors and stakeholders entangled in the conflict.
Recognizing the multifaceted nature of the situation, IOM, in collaboration with the European Union, Mercy Corps, and the Centre for Democracy and Development, has adopted a comprehensive approach that acknowledges the crucial roles of individuals, communities, and the government in fostering peaceful coexistence.
“It’s a pilot project. We have identified 24 communities in eight districts across four selected LGAs.
“Now the second step we have gone is forming the platform, the network, and response so that they are the doors and gateway for us to go to the communities and they are the bridge between communities and us,” he stated.
In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ahmed Bakori, stated that the present state administration is applying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to restore peace in the state.
“We are likely taking farmers back to their various communities, but the question is when the bandits take over those communities, they carted away their animals and foodstuffs and now we are taking them back to their communities, they have lost complete livelihood.
“I am expecting the IOM and other international organisations which are here to mitigate conflicts to after giving the victims with seeds and fertilizers to feed their children, you should also recover the source of their livelihood,” he added.
In the meantime, the Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda officially launched the project steering committee.
The governor represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Katsina, Mukhtar Saulawa, welcomed the support of the IOM, appreciating the concern shown by the IOM covering four selected LGAs.
“Though conflicts and arguments are part of human life, the most important thing is how to resolve conflicts through negotiation.
“We have traditional ways of settling conflicts which are still useful today. They include mediation, reconciliation, and negotiation,” he said.