Sultan, Kukah, UK govt seek women inclusion against insecurity

Religious, traditional and foreign leaders have called for urgent and deliberate inclusion of women in security planning and peacebuilding processes across the country.

They made the call Tuesday in Abuja at the Northwest Regional Conference on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), organised by the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), in collaboration with Global Rights and supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Integrated Security Fund.

They described women’s participation as critical to ending insecurity and other challenges, especially in the NorthWest.

The conference, with the theme: “Strengthening Inclusive Peacebuilding and Access to Justice in Northwest Nigeria: Evidence, Impact and Lessons from Practice”, brought together traditional rulers, government officials, civil society, security agencies and community stakeholders to review progress and set the stage for sustainable peace in the region.

The conference which brought together the participants from Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Kano states review progress made under community-based peacebuilding projects and to chart a sustainable path forward.

It also witnessed the launch of the Project Impact and Learning Report by Global Rights and PWAN.

Delivering a keynote, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, said Nigeria cannot defeat insecurity without confronting the structural and cultural barriers that silence women and other vulnerable.

According to him, while constitutions and religious texts provide frameworks for justice, the real challenge lies in interpretation and implementation.

Kukah said, “It is not enough to have a constitution. It is not enough to have the Holy Quran or the Bible. The question is: who interprets them, and are they used to liberate or to imprison?”

He warned that religion and culture have historically been manipulated to justify injustice, including slavery and discrimination, but noted that they also contain the seeds of redemption, capable of driving freedom and equality.

He noted the lessons from civil rights struggles in the United States and post-conflict reconciliation efforts in Rwanda, saying meaningful change requires courage, persistence and grassroots participation, especially by women.

“The future lies with our women. You don’t need permission from traditional rulers or religious leaders to claim your rights. This country is our father’s house. Nobody has a monopoly on the keys,” Kukah said.

He noted that women already bear the moral and social burden of holding families and communities together, and excluding them from decisions on peace and security weakens the entire system.

He said, “If families are strong, communities will be strong, and the nation will be strong. On your shoulders lies the burden of peace.”

Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, reaffirmed the commitment of traditional institutions to peacebuilding and gender justice.

Represented by Senior Counsellor of the Sultanate Council and District Head of Kilgori, Dr Mohammed Jabbi Kilgori, the Sultan said that traditional rulers are frontline actors in conflict prevention, noting that most security and welfare challenges manifest first at the community level.

On her part, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever Obe, said evidence from the UK-supported programmes in the Northwest shows that communities become safer and more resilient when women and marginalised groups are meaningfully included in peace and justice processes.

She noted that, through partnerships with Partners West Africa Nigeria and Global Rights, gender-based community dialogue committees were established, with up to 40 per cent women’s participation.

“When women, youth and persons with disabilities are intentionally included, peacebuilding becomes more sustainable and justice more accessible,” Obe said.

She said that strengthened community safety partnerships, improved police-community relations, and expanded legal support mechanisms have enhanced access to justice and restored trust in affected communities.

She highlighted that the UK, through its Integrated Security Fund, was proud to support PWAN and Global Rights in implementing inclusive peace and justice programmes across Katsina, Kebbi, Kano, and Sokoto states.

She also listed the tangible results of these initiatives, stressing the importance of women and marginalised groups in peace processes.

“When women and marginalised groups participate meaningfully in peace and justice processes, communities become safer, more resilient, and more cohesive,” she said.

Among the achievements she highlighted was the establishment of gender-balanced Community Dialogue Committees with at least 40 per cent women’s participation, as well as the historic turbaning of women into traditional leadership structures in Sokoto State.

“This is not just symbolic progress — it is structural change,” Obe explained, pointing to the expansion of the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme, which has enabled more than 323 detainees to regain their freedom through lawful channels.

In her remarks, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria, (PWAN), Dr. Kemi Okenyodo, called for inclusive peacebuilding and improved access to justice in Northwest Nigeria.

According to her, the conference was not merely the end of a project cycle but a platform for reflection, evidence-sharing and policy dialogue.

She said that the organisation implemented the project titled “Strengthening Inclusive Peacebuilding Structures and Improved Access to Justice in Northwest Nigeria” in Katsina and Kebbi states, while Global Rights carried out complementary interventions in Sokoto and Kano states respectively.

She also said that community safety dialogue committees and community safety partnerships were strengthened to promote inclusive participation, improve access to justice and build trust between citizens and institutions.

“One of the key lessons from the intervention is that lasting peace is built on partnerships between civil society and government, communities and institutions, and among development actors,” Okenyodo said.

Also speaking, Olubunmi Aweda, Country Manager of Global Rights, presented a comprehensive overview of the organisation’s work across Kano, Sokoto, and Kaduna states.

According to her, the intervention, supported by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aimed to address insecurity, communal tensions, youth violence, and deeply rooted gender inequalities.

“When Global Rights began this work in Kano, Sokoto, and Kaduna States, we were not starting from a blank slate. We were stepping into communities that had long been navigating insecurity, communal tensions, youth violence, banditry, and deeply rooted gender inequalities,” Aweda said.

She noted that structural barriers often limited justice and inclusion: disputes were frequently resolved informally, women and youth were excluded from decision-making, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence carried stigma, and many citizens found the justice system distant or intimidating.

She stressed that the programme’s approach was anchored on community ownership.

She said, “Sustainable peace cannot be delivered to communities; it must be built with them,” she said. Over an eight-month implementation period, measurable gains were recorded in civic participation, access to justice, and community resilience. Civic participation in Kano and Sokoto increased from 48 per cent to 88.2 per cent.

“Four new Community Dialogue Committees were established, six Gender-Based Violence Response Teams strengthened, and more than 3,400 community members were reached through sensitisation sessions and town halls.”

On access to justice also improved significantly, she said, “We recruited, trained, and deployed 24 Police Duty Solicitor Scheme lawyers — twice our original target.

“A total of 855 detainees and community members accessed pro bono legal services, while community trust in police divisions where PDSS lawyers were present rose by 86.8 per cent.

“In Kaduna State, the programme strengthened community peace infrastructure and accountability mechanisms across Igabi, Zaria, and Zangon Kataf LGAs. Early warning systems resolved 249 cases through dialogue, while 88 per cent of respondents reported improved community safety and reductions in violent conflict.”

Aweda noted a behavioural shift, with community members moving from retaliation to structured mediation.

“Community members began to describe a shift from retaliation to structured mediation. Instead of waiting for escalation, they called the CDC first. Instead of ignoring rumours, they reported them early,” she said.

She also said that women’s participation in leadership also expanded, with appointments into traditional cabinets in parts of Kaduna and Sokoto.

“In spaces that were historically male-dominated, women are now being formally recognised within traditional governance structures. Inclusion is no longer treated as an external requirement; it is internalised within community leadership itself,” Aweda said.

Equally, Noya Sedi, Global Rights programme manager, highlighted the gains of women’s rights and peacebuilding initiatives across Northwest Nigeria.

She said, “Since 2023, Global Rights, in partnership with PWAN, has implemented programmes aimed at empowering women, reducing gender-based violence, and improving access to justice for marginalised groups.

“The project, part of the FCDO-backed Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria initiative, has already shown measurable results. In Sokoto State, all 21 reported cases of gender-based violence in one month led to convictions. In Kaduna State, women were appointed to traditional councils and became focal points for community-level advocacy.”

Sedi noted that communities have increasingly taken ownership of initiatives, mainstreaming gender and women’s leadership in local governance.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), Abiodun Essiet, emphasised the importance of bottom-up approaches in tackling insecurity.

She noted the need for culturally sensitive approaches to prevent gender-based violence and support community resilience.

“Women, in particular, play a critical role in peacebuilding and promoting social cooperation. Their inclusion in decision-making is essential for sustainable peace,” she said.