The Plateau State Peace Building Agency (PPBA) on Friday 20th June 2025 convened a high-level strategic stakeholder forum under the Plateau Peace Architecture Forum (PPAF) with the theme “Revisiting the Conflict Context in Plateau State.” The engagement brought together security actors, civil society, government officials, and community leaders in a renewed effort to craft coordinated responses to the persistent security challenges in the state.
Speaking at the event, Professor Chris Kwaja, the Special Envoy to the Governor on Peace and Security, underscored the importance of synergy among all actors in the peace and security space. He emphasized that the engagement aimed to review the current peace and security infrastructure—assessing what has worked, identifying gaps, and charting the way forward.
“For us, as a government, we are committed to investing more in civil-military relations,” Prof. Kwaja said. “The goal is to strengthen citizens’ confidence in government-led peace and security efforts.”
He highlighted the need for a “whole-of-government approach” that integrates federal, state, and local government responses. According to him, success in tackling insecurity must be measured through cooperation, not competition, among security agencies. He also advocated for the decentralization of policing to empower states and communities, stressing that insecurity is not just a Plateau issue but a national concern.
Prof. Kwaja further noted that issues such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality continue to drive insecurity. “Young people facing hopelessness become vulnerable to recruitment by violent groups. We must guarantee improved living conditions to take them off that path,” he added.
In her welcome address, Dr. Julie Sanda, Director General of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, described the forum as a “call to revisit and redefine the Plateau story” beyond outdated labels like “farmer-herder conflict” or “communal clashes.”
“Today’s violence is far more complex—ranging from night-time ambushes and coordinated attacks to mass displacements and violent criminality in rural communities,” Dr. Sanda noted. “Our responses must evolve to meet the changing nature of these conflicts.”
She called for a collective effort in building an accurate, people-centered narrative and a proactive, intelligence-informed, and community-driven response mechanism. Dr. Sanda emphasized that peace cannot be achieved by a single actor but must involve a coalition of government agencies, civil society, traditional institutions, and the media.
Local government leaders also lent their voices to the dialogue. Hon. Stephen Gyang Pwajok, Executive Chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA, praised the initiative and recalled the recurring nature of violence in several LGAs since the early 2000s. He acknowledged the efforts of security agencies and stressed the need for sustained dialogue and engagement to achieve lasting peace.
From the technology and data perspective, Engr. Datong Dominic Gwaman, DG of the Plateau State Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (PICTDA), highlighted conflict trend analysis from 2023 to 2025. He noted seasonal spikes in violence around March to May each year, suggesting the need for proactive deployment of resources during these months. “The de-escalation observed in the latter half of 2024 suggests that current strategies are yielding results, but we must remain ahead of the curve,” he advised.
A robust panel discussion featured prominent peacebuilders including Samuel Goro, Revd Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, Libabatu Mohammed, Salis Abdulsalam, and Brig. Gen. Agi of Operation Safe Haven. Discussions focused on the overlooked drivers and amplifiers of conflict and the need for deliberate and thoughtful decision-making.
Brig. Gen. Agi emphasized the importance of sincerity and dialogue in resolving internal conflicts. “We are not fighting an external enemy; dialogue and trust-building are essential to sustainable peace,” he said.
Key actionable recommendations from the forum include:
- Establishing a multi-stakeholder Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) platform
- Strengthening local peace structures
- Promoting inclusive and community-based dialogue forums
- Integrating youth perspectives into peacebuilding
- Enhancing coordination among government, security, and civil society actors
- Addressing root causes through development-oriented solutions
- Developing and disseminating a unified conflict response framework
The engagement concluded with a shared commitment to producing a stakeholder-driven position paper and policy recommendations that reflect the forum’s outcomes.
As Dr. Julie Sanda noted in her closing remarks, “Reclaiming Plateau’s narrative is not just about words—it’s about ensuring that our policies and actions reflect the lived realities on the ground. We must be bold enough to rethink our approaches and courageous enough to act together.”
The June 2025 PPAF meeting marks another critical step in Plateau State’s journey toward sustainable peace and collaborative security governance.
