From Ken Kene, Makurdi

Citizens and security stakeholders in Benue State have concluded a two-day citizens’ engagement on election security, focusing on community threat mapping and multi-stakeholder dialogue.

The engagement, held in Makurdi, brought together community leaders, women and youth groups, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to identify potential flashpoints and build joint strategies for peaceful elections.

Speaking at the event on Wednesday, the Secretary to the Benue State Government, Deaconess Deborah Aber, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Affairs, Cabinet Office, Barr. Terna Abiem, expressed the state government’s commitment to collaborate with the CLEEN Foundation in achieving its aims and objectives.

Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Peter Maduoma, said the meeting was aimed at strengthening community safety and security during and after elections through citizen-led threat identification and structured engagement with security agencies and INEC.

The forum featured practical sessions on community threat mapping, where participants identified hotspots for election violence, vote-buying, misinformation and intimidation.

Participants also engaged in robust multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at strengthening early warning and early response mechanisms, and fostering collaboration between communities and security agencies before, during and after elections.

Facilitators at the event noted that election security is not the responsibility of security agencies alone, but requires active participation of citizens in providing timely information and promoting peace.

Some participants who spoke to journalists said the dialogue had broadened their understanding of their role in preventing electoral violence and expressed commitment to step down the lessons learnt in their communities.

The organisers expressed optimism that the action plans developed from the threat mapping exercise would contribute significantly to violence-free, credible and inclusive elections in Benue State.