The Da’wah Institute of Nigeria has trained 50 Islamic women groups on strategies to detect and handle traces of violent extremism among children and youths in Bauchi.
WikkiTimes reports that the training, funded by the Development Initiative For West Africa (DIWA) brought together women from different Islamic sects for six days.
Speaking, the Head of Research Da’wah Institute of Nigeria, Abdulmalik Abu-Sufyan said the training, which is a continuation of its ‘step-down’ training, adopts a multilingual approach to appropriately get the message across to the Representatives of the various Islamic women groups.
Her Son Was Mistaken As Boko Haram Jihadist — Ten Years After, She Hasn’t Seen Him
He said since the wake of the Boko Haram insurgency, there is a need to empower mothers with requisite skills to counter extremist ideologies among children because of their role and power in shaping and moulding behaviour.
“The women trained here expected to go back to their communities and clan and empower other women with the same skills that they were given at this training.
“The main focus of the training is the prevention of violent extremism spreading among youths. Therefore, the training was designed to be a vaccine for the people of Bauchi against violent extremism.
“Those who attend this training would be able to counter violent extremism narratives and also provide alternative views with cogent reasons to convince people on the best thing to say and best action to take,” he said.
Suspected Boko Haram Jihadists Storm Adamawa Community, Wreack Havoc
On her part, the leader of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Bauchi chapter, Habiba Sa’ad Usman said the training is apt and timely, arguing that women are at the receiving end of violent extremist activities as in the case of Boko Haram.
“Discussing issues that relate to violent extremism is timely because it mostly affects women. Those that are affected by the Boko Haram insurgency are mostly women and children.
She said poverty complicated counter-extremism narratives as most youths recruited into such vanguard are jobless and into drugs.
WikkiTimes recalls that last year, Da’wah Institute trained imams and clergymen on alternative narratives.
