Caleb Onwe 
Security and media experts have urged the Federal Government to urgently check the violent extremism and terrorism building up in Sahel region, fearing it could flow down to Nigeria. The experts, who participated in the Panel Discussion on Security Sector Governance and Countering Radicalism in the Sahel organised by West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR) in Abuja yesterday said the trends were too ominous to be ignored, especially follow- ing Tuesday’s attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre by terrorists, who freed 64 of their colleagues detained in the facility.
The Islamic State in West Africa Province ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a video released on Wednesday night. Speaking on the topic: ‘Combating Extremism in the Sahel: What Strategies Should We Employ’, Brig.- Gen. Saleh Bala (rtd) said multiple factors such as increasing desertification, drug abuse, climate change and unemployment have made it difficult for families to control radicalism. According to him, the rising threats flowing from the Sahel down to the coast is largely responsible for the increasing security challenges facing Nigeria.
He said the most effective and sustainable way to combat violent extremism in the region is good governance that would ensure inclusion, rule of law, transparency, justice, peace and employment. A media worker from Senegal and also an executive of WADR, Mrs. Agnes Thomasi, said the media has a key role to play in countering radicalism in Sahel and Nigeria.
Thomasi said the focus of the project being carried out by WADR was pertinent considering the urgent need to restore peace in Nigeria and Africa through strategic measures towards the de-radicalism of arms bearers. One of the panelists and member of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Rommy Mom blamed the rising terrorism in Nigeria on a lack of commitment towards the implementation of extant laws.
He also advocated that victims of terrorism in the country and Africa should be given a voice by carrying them along in conversations geared towards ending the menaces of terrorism and radicalism. He said: “Citizens ought to be in communion at all levels. Their voices should count in sharing information and participation. The insecurity problems in the Sahel and other parts of Africa are not the absence of laws and policies but lack of implementation.”
