As part of efforts to prevent the infiltration of activities of extremists and sustain the prevailing peace in the country, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged some youth groups in Pusiga District of the Upper East Region.
The youth numbering about 50 comprised barbers, dressmakers, hairdressers, basket and smock weavers, tricycle riders and social movement youth groups.
The engagement was part of the Commission’s awareness creation and sensitisation efforts dubbed, “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE), aimed at preventing and containing violent extremism through the promotion of social cohesion, peace, and tolerance.
Mr. Yakubu Seidu, the Pusiga District Director of the NCCE, explained that the purpose of the project was to ensure that the youth understood the consequences of joining violent extremists groups on their livelihoods, communities, and the nation.
He urged the young people to be vigilant in their communities and report suspicious characters to the authorities for investigation and action.
Ms Flora Ayiigah, the Deputy Superintendent of Immigration in charge of Misiga Sector Command who took the participants through early warning signals of violent extremism, cautioned the youth against radicalism.
She said the Pusiga District shared borders with two neighbouring countries, Burkina Faso and Togo which had experienced extremists’ activities in recent times and urged the youth to assist the security agencies through community surveillance to prevent proliferation of arms into the country.
She advised them to take personal security seriously and report anything strange in their settlement to the security.
She said they were aware of refugees in the district but the majority of them had not been registered hence the need to report them to the appropriate authority.
Mr Emmanuel Abariga the Programmes Coordinator, Belim Wusa Development Advocacy took the participants through peace building mechanisms and national cohesion and underscored the need for peaceful coexistence to enhance sustainable development.
He said ensuring peace was essential to preventing conflicts in their communities and violent extremism and advised the youth to be tolerant and respect one another.
The participants expressed worry that the influx of the refugees in the area, if not managed, could present opportunities for extremists to operate and noted that it was possible some extremists were already staying with them.
The youth said there were lots of unapproved routes linking the district to Togo and Burkina Faso and appealed to the government to beef up security in the area, to check unscrupulous people accessing those roads.
Source: GNA