… Inaugurates MAVE Lagos/Ogun Chapter
Daud Olatunji
The Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PAVE) Network has warned that the South-West region risks being destabilised by rising cases of arms proliferation, cultism, drug abuse, and unresolved grievances unless urgent measures are taken to address the growing threats.
The warning was issued during a stakeholders’ and media engagement session and inauguration of MAVE ,Lagos/Ogun Chapter held on Friday in Lagos, where participants from Lagos and Ogun states converged to deliberate on violent extremism and ways to strengthen peace and security in communities.
Reading a prepared speech on behalf of the national coordinator, Jaiye Gaskiya, media consultant of PAVE, Senator Iroegbu, said the network has been operating through 22 state chapters across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the mandate to coordinate civil society efforts in preventing radicalisation and violent extremism.
According to him, PAVE’s work is anchored on four key objectives — coordination of civil society on PCVE, knowledge generation and dissemination, collaboration with government and security institutions, and safeguarding human rights in counter-extremism efforts.
“Violent extremism is not just a security challenge; it is a governance and development issue.
“Our goal is to prevent radicalisation, mitigate risks, and address the conditions that allow extremism to thrive,” Gaskiya stated.
He also introduced the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation, and Resource Hub (KIRH), a knowledge-sharing platform established by PAVE in partnership with the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and other partners.
The hub is designed as a one-stop think-tank to curate evidence, generate research, provide technical resources, and improve the quality of PCVE interventions across Nigeria.
During the interactive session, participants from Lagos and Ogun — including Richard Odeyemi, Lolade Gabriel, Evelyn Usman, and Daud Olatunji — raised grave concerns about the worsening security situation in the South-West.
Key issues highlighted included: arms Proliferation: Participants lamented the alarming circulation of illegal arms across the region, blaming porous borders for smuggling. They called for an immediate mop-up of weapons in circulation.
On cultism and drug abuse, stakeholders described cultism among young people as a “ticking time bomb,” noting that even primary school pupils are being lured into cult groups and drug abuse. They accused some politicians of fuelling the menace for political gains.
On ethnic and religious tensions: There were warnings that if ethnic and religious crises are not addressed, they could tear apart communities in the South-West.
Poverty and Hate Speech were also cited as a factor that fuel violence, participants argued that poverty and unchecked hate speech are major triggers of violent extremism.
They also advocated the removal of “place of origin” from Nigerian passports to promote national unity.
On land grabbing and boundary disputes, they accused government officials, traditional rulers, and even religious institutions of complicity in land grabbing, which participants said is fueling conflicts.
Weak Institutions was also cited, the stakeholders stressed the urgent need to strengthen Nigeria’s justice system, improve law enforcement, and institutionalise crime-fighting mechanisms.
As part of recommendations, participants called on government at all levels to create more jobs and vocational opportunities for young people.
They also advised that the judiciary should be strengthen while respect should be accorded human rights advocates.
They also urged stakeholders to intensify sensitisation campaigns to discourage violence and drug abuse, povide proper orientation for traditional rulers to support peacebuilding and encourage inter-ethnic and inter-religious marriages to foster social cohesion.
Participants also advised stakeholders to strengthen community-based reconciliation, rehabilitation, and reintegration programmes.
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