Recently, the Special Task Force (STF) tagged Operation Save Haven in Plateau state organised training for some youth on community policing, security watch, drug abuse and conflict management. MUHAMMAD TANKO SHITTU examines the impact of the programme
In line with its policy on civil-military relations and the need to find lasting solution to perennial crisis on the plateau, the Special Task Force (STF) under the leadership Major General David D. Enetie has continued to deploy various strategies that would engender community involvement in the peace-building process.
This current effort which is aimed at consolidating on the gains of community engagements such as provision of some basic necessities of life through renovation of boreholes, provision of medical supports, sporting activities; is the engagement of some selected youths leaders who are already vigilantes in their respective communities.
The three-day event offered training for 50 youths in basic skills of effective community policing and conflict management.
Speaking at the event, Commander, STF, Major General David Enetie disclosed that the exercise involved youths drawn from five districts that constitute 20 electoral in Jos South Local Government Area of the state adding that it was aim at equipping the participants with the skills of effective community Policing.
General Enetie, said the STF in line with its objectives of “one Plateau peace initiative project” doing its possible best to improve the security situation on the ground.
“ The training was basically to educate the youths on community policing, conflict management and the idea of what improvise explosive device is all about,” he said.
The commander said there should be synergy between the vigilantes and men of the STF.
The commander tasked the youth to be law abiding, and urged them to take advantage of the acquired skills by ensuring that the right things are done at any time where their services are needed in their respective communities.
Enetie stressed that peace is the requisite to every positive development.
According to him the selection of the area to commenced the training was strategic in the sense that Jos South is one of the crises prone zones.
Enetie assured that similarly training will be done in all the sectors under his command.
“ My vision is to have a free crises Plateau State, that will allow for meaningful development.”
The Commander said the training is part of the STF’s One Peace Plateau Initiative- its platform of reaching out to its own host community (Plateau State) to foster partnership in security and the peace building process on the Plateau.”
He said: “This initiative has gone a long way to address perennial issues such as intolerance and lack of trust between the STF and the host community; community between communities. In this light, the STF embarked on several community development/quick impact projects such as providing medical relief, educational support, and sports for peace, construction and renovation of bore holes, intervention roles amongst others.
“Consequently, Sector 5, as a stakeholder of the One Plateau Peace initiative of the STF, has keyed into this vision and have taken up laudable projects in its AOR. I am to state that last year alone, Sector 5 STF, under the leadership of Col AI Adedigba, organized a major Peace Football Tournament in the State, and renovated a dilapidated 2-classroom block of the Islamiyya Primary School, Bukuru amongst others.”
He however, added that the programme is a very unique one as it addresses issues bothering on security and conflict management for youths, stressing that he is convinced that, at the end of it the youths will be better positioned as agents of change and vanguards of peaceful co-existence and tolerance and above all imbibe the culture of nationhood, security consciousness amid the flurry of security challenges the nation is confronted with.
“The youths must rise up with one voice and say no to violence and terrorism.
“At this juncture I want to thank the stakeholders, facilitators and our esteemed partners in progress for rising to the occasion of leaving a mark for posterity. I also wish the participants an exciting and fulfilling training. Good morning,” Enetie said.
In addition to physical exercise, lectures were delivered by security experts. This exercise is also seen as right move in the right direction. It is believed that with the involvement of STF in the activities of vigilante group, it would be sanitize.
According to the managing director/ chief executive of Executive Guards limited, a private security outfit, Elder Edinen Usoroh, the way people just ventured into vigilante in the name of security is worrisome.
“ Because the people are not trained on security, you often see them harassing any person they perceived as enemy, because he doesn’t belonging to either their tribe or religion, just in the name of vigilante. At times you even hard the story of them taking the law into their hands” he stressed.
Mr. Usoroh explained that there is different between vigilante and community policing, adding that any person that is trained in the area of security must be recognized by the Government.
“My disagreement with the issue of the vigilante, is who does the recruitment ? Who does the training? How will they say identify an IED.
“ But with the training like this where you get them, you trained them, on basic things, they know their limits, knowing they can’t even make arrest, this is a good step by the STF,” he added.
Impact and benefits of the programme:
Some of the trained participants who spoke to Blueprint said the training has impacted positively to their thinking of what security and community policing is all about contrary to their laymen perceptions.
One of the participant, Gyang Sunday said he learnt new security techniques. He said the training offered all the participants to know each other and further understand how to tolerate one another, which will go a long way in bridging the gap of disunity amongst them.
“The security training programme is very important in the sense that it will help in bringing peace and understanding in the communities, the state and Nigeria generally,” he said.
Sunday said the training has educated them on improvised explosive device (IED), and how to go about dealing with it if seen on the street, “how to call security expert and even what to be done in case it explodes.”
He further said: “We were also taught on how to manage conflict and crises situation.
Sunday commended the STF for the timely and all important programme, most particularly the commander of the STF General Enetie for the giant initiative.”
Another trainee Abubakar Usman explained that they have found in the training very important things that will positively help them do the community policing properly.
“First, the STF, have brought us together as youth from our respective communities and we have been together for three days, we are now friends that will be working together for the safety of our communities,” he said. “Again, the training have impacted so many ideas and awareness on the security challenges, as youth representatives from our various communities we will not stop here, but will go and give a step down enlightenment to the members of our communities, we will surely inform and also educate them.”
According to Usman the burden is on the trainee to continue to support work of the STF, toward achieving a lasting peace.
“The STF have been doing their best, ours is to consolidate on their efforts , because security is every body’s business, we will ensure that we do the community policing or vigilante in line with the law.
“By this training programme, it means that we are identified by the STF, and so we will also continue to support them in their task of peace keeping. I must say that the STF commander General Enetie is worthy of commendation for all his civil- military policy. He added
The training exercise featured displayed of how to handle the situation where an IED is suspected to have been planted and what need to be done.
