The ongoing farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt (North Central) region has led to the general breakdown of law and order and a rise in the number of vigilante and other armed groups seeking to pursue the real or perceived interests of themselves and their communities. Against this backdrop, UNODC is implementing a three-year (2021-2024) - “Project to Strengthen the Capacity of Nigeria to Collect Evidence and More Effectively Prosecute Terrorism, Kidnapping, and Other Serious Crimes in Nigeria's Middle Belt”, funded by the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
This project is closely modelled on the INL-funded Project to Strengthen the Capacity of Nigeria to Collect Evidence and More Effectively Prosecute Terrorism and Other Serious Crimes with Respect for the Rule of Law (link to the project site) and expands UNODC’s support to Nigeria to successfully prosecute serious criminal offences, including terrorism and kidnapping, committed in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region (Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states), through improved collection and utilization of potential evidential material in cases brought before the Federal and state courts.
UNODC’s support includes:
To date, the project has trained over 673 participants in more than 44 capacity building activities.