Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, on Monday inaugurated the State Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Peace and Security Committee, declaring that his administration would provide the necessary political will to ensure its success.
The initiative, facilitated by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Counter Terrorism Centre, marks the first time such a committee is being established at the subnational level in the country.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the governor recalled that Kaduna had only recently emerged from a period of intense insecurity, when bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements held sway across large parts of the state.
Sani noted that upon assumption of office, his administration adopted a multi-dimensional strategy to confront the crisis, combining force with dialogue and socio-economic interventions. According to him, the complexity of insecurity required both kinetic and non-kinetic responses, leading to the development of what he described as the “Kaduna Peace Model”.
He explained that the model addresses underlying drivers of conflict, such as poverty, social exclusion, limited access to education and lack of economic opportunities, alongside strengthening security operations. “In confronting these realities, we have combined robust security operations with deliberate investments in human development, dialogue and community engagement”, the governor added.
He further disclosed that collaboration with federal security agencies had significantly improved safety across previously volatile areas. “Today, travellers once again move with confidence along previously perilous corridors, and economic activity has not only been restored but peaked”, he said.
The Governor, however, stressed that the use of force alone could not guarantee sustainable peace, hence the emphasis on dialogue and reconciliation. “It is in this context that we embraced dialogue – not as a concession, but as a strategic instrument of stability”, he said, adding that engagement with community leaders, traditional institutions and repentant actors had helped rebuild trust.
In her remarks, the Director of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Ambassador Abimbola Wonosikou, described the inauguration as a critical milestone towards achieving sustainable peace and development.
She revealed that the centre, in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme, had conducted consultations across the six geo-political zones to develop a coordinated DDR framework.
Wonosikou explained that one of the key outcomes of the consultations was the recommendation for states to establish DDR committees to serve as implementation units. “Therefore, the establishment of this committee is not merely a bureaucratic exercise; it is a bold and practical step toward addressing the root causes of insecurity”, she added.
She further emphasised that the DDR approach would help reduce violence by removing weapons from circulation, dismantling armed groups and reintegrating affected individuals into society. “By removing arms from circulation, dismantling violent structures and reintegrating affected individuals back into society, we are laying the foundation for reconciliation, healing and long-term stability,” she said.
