Insecurity: Kukah Centre promotes operating procedure

The Plateau State Government and the Kukah Centre have called for the formal adoption and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures for the state-owned security outfit, Operation Rainbow, as part of efforts to strengthen community security, accountability and human rights compliance.

The call was made in Jos, on Tuesday, at a town hall advocacy meeting  for stakeholders with the theme: “Improving Community Security Initiative for Accountable Service Delivery II.”

The meeting, organised by the Kukah Centre with support from the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria Programme, is an initiative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is being implemented by Tetra Tech International Development in partnership with the Kukah Centre.

Speaking at the event, the Plateau State Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, who was represented by Barrister Christopher Bot, commended the Kukah Centre for driving reforms in the state’s localised security framework.

“Over the years, the Kukah Centre has been the driving force behind reforming Plateau’s localised security frameworks by playing a specialised role in restructuring local security architectures, fostering institutional peacebuilding, and preserving the memory of conflict victims,” he said.

Daffi said the development of the SOP for Operation Rainbow is both timely and strategic, noting that effective security governance goes beyond mandate.

“The development and presentation of Standard Operating Procedures for Operation Rainbow is both timely and strategic. In an era where security challenges are becoming increasingly complex, the effectiveness of any security institution depends not only on its mandate but also on clear operational guidelines that promote professionalism, accountability, transparency, respect for human rights, and interagency collaboration,” he said.

According to him, “As the Chief Law Officer of Plateau State, I recognise the critical role that lawful standard procedures play in ensuring that security operations are conducted within the ambit of the Constitution and other extant laws. Effective security governance requires a delicate balance between maintaining public safety and protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. The SOPs being advocated today provide an important framework for achieving that balance.”

He pointed out that Operation Rainbow has served as a vital component of the state security architecture, and institutionalising the SOP will strengthen its operational effectiveness.

“Operation Rainbow has, over the years, served as a vital component of the state security framework by providing intelligence support, facilitating community engagement, and complementing the efforts of conventional security agencies, while also standing out as one of the highly rated community security outfits in the country. The institutionalisation of these operating procedures will undoubtedly strengthen its capacity to respond effectively to emerging security threats while deepening public confidence in its activities,” Daffi highlighted.

While maintaining that security is a collective responsibility, he urged stakeholders to support the adoption of the SOP.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emirs and Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba, who was represented by Da Gyang Balak, described the programme as very important to peacebuilding in the state.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this important engagement focused on the adoption and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures aimed at strengthening local community security initiatives, peacebuilding and inclusion across the country,” he said.

The traditional ruler commended the Kukah Centre for recognising the role of diverse actors in peace and security.

“I wish to commend the Kukah Centre for organising this important initiative and for recognising the critical role that communities, financial institutions, government, security agencies, civil society organisations, women and young people must play in ensuring sustainable peace and security in our state,” he said.

Buba noted that Plateau has a proud history of peaceful coexistence but has also faced challenges that test collective resolve.

“Plateau State has a long, proud history of peaceful coexistence among its diverse peoples. At the same time, we have experienced challenges that have tested our collective commitment to peace, security, and social cohesion. These experiences remind us that sustainable peace cannot be achieved by any single institution or group. It requires partnership, trust, coordination, inclusion, and a shared commitment to the common good,” he said.

The Gbong Gwom Jos remarked further that clear SOPs would ensure that community security complements formal security institutions and promotes human rights.

“Such procedures provide a common framework for community security initiatives, clarify roles and responsibilities, strengthen coordination with formal security institutions, promote accountability and help ensure that local responses to emerging threats are peaceful and consistent with human rights protection standards,” he said.

He emphasised that inclusion must be at the heart of peacebuilding, insisting, “I also wish to emphasis that inclusion must remain at the heart of our peacebuilding.

“Women, young people, traditional and religious leaders, persons with disabilities and other often underrepresented groups possess valuable knowledge and perspectives that must be reflected in our approaches to security at the local level,” Buba added.

He warned that the value of the SOPs would not be in their production but in their implementation.

“The success of the SOPs will, however, not depend merely on their production as documents. Their real value will be demonstrated through ownership, adoption, implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement. That is why today’s engagement of relevant stakeholders is particularly important.”

In her remarks, the Coordinator of Operation Rainbow, represented by Mrs. Fadasah Binta, said the intervention by the Kukah Centre had already impacted the outfit.

“This year, the Kukah Foundation trained about 300 of our operatives across local governments, ward by ward. It was a great change because that training really opened their eyes to certain things they were not aware of,” she said.

She noted that the outfit had long desired such training, remarking thus, “As an outfit, we had been looking for ways to organise such training ourselves. So when the Kukah Foundation came through the SPRiNG project, it was a welcome development. I really appreciate the Kukah Foundation and our sponsors, SPRiNG,” she said.

She urged participants to critically examine the SOP document, saying, “We are here today on the Standard Operating Procedures that they have prepared for Operation Rainbow, and by extension, other security agencies working with Operation Rainbow. As we go through the document they have prepared, we should make positive contributions. If you are not comfortable with any aspect of the SOP, please do not hesitate to point it out,” she said.

For her part, the Director General of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, Dr. Julie Sanda, said her agency works very closely with Operation Rainbow and recognizes its efforts, but noted gaps over the years.

“Over the years, since Operation Rainbow was set up, we have seen gaps and limitations in its operations, some of which were as a result of gaps in the law. But this intervention has further strengthened it,” she said.

Sanda disclosed that the state government had trained about 1,000 Operation Rainbow personnel recently and deployed them to the field. She said early warning and early response remain a challenge, with communities complaining about slow response time.

“So it is important that some of the issues highlighted in the SOP will help officers on the field to track response time, so that reports can be submitted to government on how the system can be further strengthened and capacity enhanced. Because you cannot overwork people and expect efficient results,” she maintained.

Thus, she called for improved technology and equipment for rural operations, stressing, “We have gotten to a stage where technology is top notch, and when gaps are identified and briefs are shared with government, I believe government, alongside other partners, can support in strengthening capacity where needed and providing equipment to ease work in the field, particularly in rural communities, to improve response time.”

She also raised concerns about the changing dynamics of violence, adding, “Another key issue I have observed in our work is, given the present context and dynamics of violence, how does early warning and early response fit in? Now you find that communities are sleeping at night and then they are attacked. So how do we ensure that the present guidelines also align with early warning and early response?”

Earlier, the Project Manager of the Kukah Centre, Bamber Terseer, explained the rationale behind the project, clarifying,

“We believe that if the law is strong, operations will also be strong in delivering the mandate.”

Terseer said the Centre conducted an assessment of the Operation Rainbow Law and similar laws in Katsina, Kaduna and Benue states, and identified areas for strengthening.

“We conducted an assessment of the Operation Rainbow law, identified key areas that need strengthening, and made valid recommendations. That assessment report for Plateau is contained in the blue document in the package shared,” he said.

According to the project manager, the assessment revealed that the absence of guiding principles contributed to human rights abuses, hence the need for an SOP.

“This was informed by the discovery that one of the key challenges that led to human rights abuses was that the security outfit was operating without guiding principles,” he said.

He added that to ensure local ownership, the SOP was subjected to a validation process involving Plateau stakeholders.

“We did not want the SOP to be seen as just a document from the Centre or a generic document. So, we subjected it to a validation process. We brought together key stakeholders here in Plateau to make inputs so that the document is contextually relevant and owned by all concerned, not just imposed by the Centre,” Terseer said.

In his estimation, the validated SOP and the training of 300 personnel form the foundation for the next phase, which seeks formal adoption by the state government.

“For this phase, we want to build on that foundation. The first is to get the commitment of key stakeholders in Plateau so that the SOP does not remain just a document, but is formally adopted by the State as the working document for Operation Rainbow,” he said.