Nigerian women’s call: End the insecurity and bloodshed, By Feminist Womanifesto Group

Establish an early warning and early response mechanism to track, in real time, when an incident occurred and when state security agents responded. Incidences of attackers spending hours killing and maiming citizens in communities must end. Build on women’s indigenous knowledge to involve them in the community peace architecture, as mediators and negotiators.

Nigeria is one of the most unstable and terrorised countries in the world. We are currently ranked third in the world, with a death toll of 25,711 people killed between 2010 and 2019. This does not include those murdered, kidnapped, assaulted, raped, and abducted since 2020. Nigerians are gradually being paralysed with the fear of violence, unable to farm, travel, socialise or go to school and, even in our homes, we are still not safe.

Women and children bear the major brunt arising from wars and conflict and are often time the worst hit, hence we are concerned about the spate of violence pervading the nation; therefore we call on the government to TAKE ACTION to end the insecurity and bloodshed. 

In its Mass Atrocities Report 2020, Global Rights Nigeria estimated that 4,556 Nigerians were killed in 2020, especially in the restive North-Eastern part of the country. In the first quarter of 2021, over 220 kidnapping incidents were recorded, with at least 2,114 victims. In the same first quarter of 2021, over 600 schools closed across six states in the North. Violence is raging in Abia, Benue, Imo, Kebbi, Niger, Ondo and Oyo States due to the activities of non-state actors, insurrection, the proliferation of weapons, farmer-herder conflicts and state security operations. The deaths of Abubakar Shekau and Idriss Déby heralds the terror of a more organised Islamic West Africa Province, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes and their means of livelihood, while women and children are being captured for rape and indoctrinated into a life of violence.

Nigeria’s security forces are already overstretched, dogged with allegations of corruption and abuse, and the country is awash with small arms and light weapons in the middle of an economic recession, high unemployment and food insecurity. The increasing rate of crime and violence is alarming and of great concern to everyone. Few can sleep soundly for fear and the uncertainty is unbearable. Nigeria is inflicted with a thousand cuts and hemorrhaging badly, and we need to stop the bleeding and needless deaths. The insecurity endangers the continued existence of the country, and every citizen is at risk.

Nigerians need the assurance that the attacks around the country are being recorded and addressed collaboratively by relevant state actors under the supervision of the President. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had daily briefings; insecurity is killing more people and should be accorded a higher level of urgency.

 The demands

1. Reform community security policing: Engage and involve states and communities in security management, especially in security provisioning and ensure that state and community needs and risks influence the deployment of security assets.

1. Set up early warning mechanisms and ensure women’s participation in peace and security decision-making: Establish an early warning and early response mechanism to track, in real time, when an incident occurred and when state security agents responded. Incidences of attackers spending hours killing and maiming citizens in communities must end. Build on women’s indigenous knowledge to involve them in the community peace architecture, as mediators and negotiators.

1. Give daily security briefings: Nigerians need the assurance that the attacks around the country are being recorded and addressed collaboratively by relevant state actors under the supervision of the President. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had daily briefings; insecurity is killing more people and should be accorded a higher level of urgency.

1. Ensure transparency and accountability on security spending: The link between our huge defence budget and the safety and security of Nigerians must be reinforced. Nigerians demand accountability from state security forces and governors on how defence budgets and security votes are implemented.

1. Activate national response to kidnapping: Until the menace of kidnapping is brought under control, all kidnapping cases should be handled centrally, aligned to a strategy/policy to be implemented by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

We the undersigned organisations are members of the Feminist Womanifesto Group:

9jafeminista

Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls

Above Whispers Foundation

Above Whispers Media Foundation

Action Aid Nigeria

ActionAid International

ACTS Generation GBV

Ade Grange Child Foundation

ADEM Community & Human Development Foundation

Adinya Arise Foundation (AAF)

Advocate for Health and Development Initiative

African Women’s Initiative/Verity CNET

African Women’s Initiative (AWI)

Ajegunle Community Project

Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation

Alliances for Africa (AfA)

Aminchi Women Cooperative Society

Amnesty International Nigeria

ARDA Development Communication Inc.

Arise Nigerian Woman Foundation.

ASWHAN

ATATA Development and Empowerment Foundation (ADEF)

BLECCA Foundation

Bring Back Our Girls

Briskila Emefesi Women Foundation (BEWOF)

Cece Yara Foundation

Cedar Seed Foundation

CEE-HOPE Nigeria

Center For Economic Empowerment And Gender Activities (CEEGA)

Centre For Alternative Development And Self-Enhancement (CEADESE NG)

Centre For Health And Development In Africa (CHEDA)

Centre for Nonviolence and Gender Advocacy in Nigeria (CENGAIN)

Centre For Peace Education And Community Development

Centre For Women’s Health And Information (CEWHIN)

Change Managers International Network

Charity Women Spring of Salvation

Chedal Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society

Child Care and Adult Protection Initiative (CCAPI)

Choung-Dung Women Association.

Christian Women For Excellence And Empowerment In Nigerian Society (CWEENS)

Christian Women In Nigerian Politics

Citizens Center for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR)

Community and Youth Development

Community Education Advancement of Peace And Development Initiative (CEAPDI)

Community Initiative for Healthy And Peaceful Society

Community Life Project (CLP)

Community Rescue Initiative (CRI)

Community Women Initiatives

Country Associates Network

Courageous People Health and Development Initiative (CPHDL)

Crestville Development Foundation

Development in Practice Gender and Entrepreneurial Initiative (DIPGEI)

Diaspora Womanifesto2019

Dinidari Foundation

Dorothy Njemanze Foundation

Dream Alive Women And Orphans Support Foundation (DAWOS Foundation)

Echoes Of Women In Africa Initiatives

Edo Women’s Development Initiative

Education As A Vaccine (EVA)

EiE Nigeria

Emerge Women

Empowerment And Action Research Centre

Equality Through Education Foundation (ETEF)

Equity Advocates (EA)

Equity Advocates and The Woman Today (TWT) Newspaper

Equity Advocates/The Woman Today Newspaper

FACICP Disability Plus

FAME Foundation

Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs

Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON)

Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN)

Federation of Paralegal Network (FEDPAN)

Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)

Fembridge Development Initiative (FEDI)

FIDA Nigeria

First Future Leadership

First Future Leadership Company/Gte

Federation of Muslim Women Association In Nigeria (FOMWAN)

Ford Foundation

Forward in Action For Education, Poverty And Malnutrition (FACE-PAM)

Foundation for Resilience and Empowerment Development (FRED)

Gender Action Awareness Trust

Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN)

Gender and Development Action (GADA)

Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative(GERI)

Gender Awareness Trust (GAT)

Gender Development Initiative

Gender Equality Center

Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre

Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre

Gender Technical Unit (GTU)

Girl Child Advocacy and Education Initiatives

Girl Child Africa

Girl Child Education, Care & Rehabilitation

Girl Education Rehabilitation and Care (GERAC)

Girls Power Initiative (GPI)

Global Hope for Women and Children Foundation (GLOHWOC)

Green Spring Development Initiative

Habiba Dangana (Hadis) Foundation

Heal Disability Initiative

Health Education and Human Rights Advocacy Initiative

Health Reform Foundation Of Nigeria(HERFON)

HEIR Women Development

Help Initiative for Social Justice & Humanitarian Development

Hope For New Life

Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development IRIAD

Inter Africa Committee (IAC)

Inter Gender Peace Foundation

International Action Network On Small Arms Women Network Of

International Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida Nigeria)

International Hairstylists, Barber and Body Therapists (IHSTOBAN)

International Society of Media In Public Health (ISMPH)

International Women Communication Centre

Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD)

Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation

Jamatul Nasir Islam, Women Wing

Jana Health Foundation

Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC)

Justice Development and Peace Mission (JDPM)

K/Mashi Gamji Women

Kebetkache Women Development And Resources Centre

Kimpact Initiatives

Kudirat Initiative For Democracy (KIND)

Kungiyar Tallafin Mata Development Initiative

League Of Queens International Empowerment

League of Women Voters of Nigeria NILOWV

Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP)

Lift Initiative

MBULA Women Association

Media & Teens Network.

Media Concern Initiative

Mobilising Data for Anti-Corruption (MODAC)

Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome

More Women in Politics

My Voice My Future NGO

Nasrul-Lahi-L-Faith Society (NASFAT)

National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)

National Centre for Women Development

National Council of Women Societies (NCWS)

NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women

Neighbourhood Care-Well Foundation

Network of Reproductive Health Journalists Of Nigeria, NRHJN

Next Initiative for Gender Actions (NIGA)

NGAS Women Farmers’ Cooperative Society

Nigeria Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ)

Nigeria For Women Project

Nigeria Labour Congress, Women Committee

Nigeria Union Of Teachers (NUT)

Nigerian Express

Nigerian Women Politics Forum

Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NTWF)

Ogayem Merciful Care and Support Initiatives (OMCSI)

Ogun Women Alive

Olive Community Development Initiatives

Onomese Foundation

Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)

Osi Joe Touching Lives Initiative

Ovie Brume Foundation

Partners West Africa

Peasant Dragnet

Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI)

Project Alert on Violence Against Women

Quinnipiac University

Ray of Hope Community Foundation

Relief Development Initiative Kaduna

Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative

Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative

She Forum Africa

Sheforshe Africa Initiative

Shout Global Health

Small-scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON)

South-South Professional Women Association.

Stand to End Rape (STER)

Stephanie Peace Building Development Foundation

Support For Needy Children And Women Initiative (SUNCHI)

SWOFON National Abuja

Taraba State University

TechHerNG

The Inclusion Project (TIP)

The Priceless Jewels Foundation

THR Media – HERFESSIONS INITIATIVE

Tonia Bruised But Not Broken Foundation

Transformation and Development Center (TDC)

Transition Monitoring Group

Tunde & Friends Foundation (TAFF)

UC Women Commission

UN Women

Vision Spring Initiatives (VSI)

Voice Of Ogun Women (VOW)

West African Network for Peace

Widows Development Organisation (WIDO)

Woman-Being Concern Nigeria

Women & Youth Awareness Empowerment Network (WOYAEN)

Women Advocacy, HIV Prevention and Other Diseases (WAHPOD)

Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC)

Women Aid Collective

Women and Youth Empowerment for Advancement and Health Initiative

Women Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON)

Women education advocacy and development Initiatives (WEADI)

Women Empowerment and Initiative Development

Women Empowerment and Reproductive Health Centre (WERHC)

Women Empowerment Education and peace building lnitiative (WEPBI )

Women Environmental Programme

Women Farmers Alliance

Women For Peace And Gender Equality Initiative (WOPEGEE)

Women for Women International

Women Foundation Initiative

Women Foundation of Nigeria (WFN)

Women in Action for Positive Development and Gender Enhancement Center (WAPGADEC)

Former Women Action Organization (WAO)

Women In Africa Initiative

Women In Agriculture

Women In Mining

Women in Politics Forum

Women Information Network (WINET)

Women Initiative for Democracy and Empowerment (WIDE)

Women Law and Development Initiative (WOLDI)

Women Law Development Center of Nigeria (WLDCN)

Women Lead Agric

Women League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)

Women of Vision Development Initiative

Women Protection Organization (WOPO)

WOMEN RADIO 91.7

Women Wing of The Christian Association Of Nigeria (WOWICAN)

Women, Infants and Children Care Initiative (WICCI)

Women, Youths and Children Advancement Program

Women Aid Collective (WACOL)

Women Optimum Development Foundation-WODEF

Women Right to Education Programme (WREP)

Women’s Crisis Centre Owerri

Women’s Rights and Health Project

Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP)

Working Moms Africa

Wumi Asubiaro Dada

Youth Future Savers Initiative

Zonta International Club of Lagos 1