This research project involves learning from a collective impact initiative for unarmed civilian protection launched in 2017, in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Using quantitative and qualitative research on local violence reporting from newspaper archives; focus group discussions, and a non-linear video documentary with the members of the Jos Stakeholders Centre for Peace (JSCP) network, this project will contribute new theoretical and empirical insights on enhancing civilian protection through unarmed collective action in the area of community security. Prominently, the research includes partner organisations and collaborators in Nigeria to promote grassroots advocacy, capacity building; and knowledge dissemination around unarmed civilian protection (UCP) in Maiduguri, Borno state, where civilians have witnessed both state and non-state directed violence due to the Boko Haram insurgency. A growing normalisation in state-insurgent relations since 2015 has created the opportunity to build the self-protection capacities of local communities. Towards this end, the novelty of the project is three-fold. First it will encourage inter-regional learning of the collective impact model in UCP. Second, it will build the capacity of the people at the grassroots, and those in positions of local power and influence through workshops, mobile video projection and community discussions around UCP in Maiduguri, Borno state. Third, it will develop the local capacity in Maiduguri to arrest conflict escalation and mitigate both state and non-state armed violence directed against civilians, through unarmed community security initiatives.
Research Team:
- Sukanya Podder, King’s College London, UK (principal investigator)
- Pwakim Jacob Choji, Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse, Jos, Nigeria (co-investigator)
- Allamin Foundation for Peace & Development, Nigeria (project partner)
Project Dates:
1 November 2022 – 31 January 2024
Research Outputs:
- Article in Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, “Unarmed civilian protection through collective impact: The Jos Stakeholders Centre for Peace (JSCP), Plateau State, Nigeria”.
