EU–Nigeria–UNODC–CTED Partnership Project to Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism Closes
State Correspondent
Last week marked the conclusion of the third and final phase of one of the most enduring international efforts to support Nigerian law enforcement entities in their struggle against Boko Haram and its associated groups: The EU-Nigeria-UNODC-CTED Partnership Project III – Support for criminal justice responses to terrorism and violent extremism.
In 2013 the Government of Nigeria and the European Union Delegation in Abuja came together to address multiple challenges posed by the outbreak of violence in the north east of the country and the emergence of Boko Haram as a serious threat to regional stability. Terrorism had previously been almost unknown in West Africa requiring the adoption of new strategies and tactics to protect the population from terrorist violence, while also preserving existing institutions and values from harm.
Working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the EU chose to partner with the UNODC Country Office and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) because of their deep experience working on these issues and their long-term prior engagement in Nigeria, and the partnership project to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian criminal justice officials to effectively investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate terrorism cases, in accordance with the rule of law and human rights, and in line with international best practice, was born.
Over all the three phases of the project, UNODC has delivered a total of 323 capacity building and technical assistance activities, in which it provided extensive training to more than 7,765 criminal justice officials, including investigators, legal advisors, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges on a wide range of terrorism-related criminal justice issues.
These trainings were designed to strengthen the professional and technical capacity of Nigerian criminal justice officials by delivering in-depth and practically-focused instruction on how to conduct effective counter-terrorism investigations and prosecutions within a human rights and gender sensitive framework.
To support these trainings UNODC developed a range of practical manuals and modules tailored specifically to Nigeria’s local circumstances including a Nigeria Handbook on Counterterrorism Investigations, a Nigeria Training Module on Gender Dimensions of Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism, a Nigeria Training Module on Investigative Interviewing, the Right to Remain Silent and the Prohibition of Torture, and a User’s Guide to the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as Amended by the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013.
In 2020, during the first few months of the global pandemic, the project team also prepared and distributed Guidelines for Policing During the COVID-19 Emergency to tens of thousands of Nigerian police officers serving around the country.
At the strategic level, UNODC has provided support to Nigerian policymakers developing the Action Plan on Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism in Northeast Nigeria, the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism National Framework and Action Plan. It has also provided advice and assistance to Nigerian lawmakers as they prepare new legislation, such as the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022, to ensure that relevant international conventions and protocols are also incorporated into Nigerian law.
In the north east, the project team has provided practical assistance and equipment for the establishment of a new Nigeria Police Force Terrorism Investigation Branch (TIB) Field Office in Maiduguri, and a new Borno State Digital Forensic Unit. The team has also responded to the capacity building and infrastructural needs of the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) in Maiduguri, which along with the Federal Ministry of Justice’s Complex Case Group (CCG), has become a critical institution in the effort to bring terrorists to justice in Nigeria.
However, the signature achievement of the partnership project has without question been at the operational level supporting the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of individual terrorism-related cases. UNODC has supported the physical deployment of CCG prosecutors, defence counsel from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), and Federal High Court (FHC) judges to the field, and has provided a variety of specialist items of equipment to facilitate their work.
As a result, Nigerian officials have processed more than 3,000 terrorism cases since 2018, resulting in over 650 terrorism convictions. In addition, some 1,800 adults and 580 minors have been released from federal custody, and a further 230 new cases have been referred for trial. Most recently, just last month, UNODC supported LACON in securing the release of 101 suspects from Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos who had been detained on terrorism charges reportedly struck down in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
As a direct consequence of the EU’s unwavering support and sustained financial contribution, the project has greatly influenced Nigeria’s fight to bring terrorists and violent extremists to justice. At the valedictory meeting of the Project Steering Committee in September, Ms. Comfort Olubo Umaru, a Senior Research Fellow at the National Judicial Institute, encapsulated why she thought the project had been so successful:
“UNODC went after the human element. The focus on capacity-building for local Nigerian professionals is the greatest achievement in my view. The training programmes had great attendance, active participation, and with time, a great and very visible impact on how things are done in the justice sector. The difficult conversations that took place around often overlooked vulnerable groups took on lives on their own and have become the focus for other new project activities being carried out by UNODC’s Country Office.”
Ms. Umaru’s comments were echoed by Mairo Abbas, Head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in the Office of the National Security Advisor, who expressed ONSA’s appreciation to UNODC and the EU for their support and partnership over the years. She also praised the “huge dividends” the project had yielded across its three phases, and urged her colleagues from across government to work to consolidate these gains in pursuit of lasting peace in the country.
Looking to the future, UNODC and the European Union hope to launch a new project in 2023 – this time in a consortium with UNDP, UNICEF and IOM – responding to the current developments in the north east of Nigeria, but also ensuring that the criminal justice system continues to address the terrorist threat effectively and to support the implementation of UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Nigeria, especially in relation to the protection of women and children from sexual and gender based violence and exploitation.
The closing ceremony is scheduled to hold on 21st/November/2022 at the UN House Auditorium, Abuja.
(UNODC Media)
