PRAWA Partners ASSN, GCSSG To Curb Insecurity

A leading non-governmental organization, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has partnered the African Security Sector Network and Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance to curb insecurity in the Economic Community of West African States.

 

PRAWA Executive Director, Dr. Uju Agomoh said the partners were conducting a Baseline Study of Private Security Regulation in the ECOWAS region as part of moves to address the menace.

 

Speaking in Abuja at a workshop on validation of the baseline study of private security regulation in the ECOWAS region, Agomoh said the security situation in the region calls for pragmatic solutions.

 

She lamented that the rising wave of crime, armed conflict and the evident inability of state security actors to provide adequate protection of lives and property has obviously resulted in the proliferation of private security companies in the ECOWAS region.

 

She said “Expectedly, major negative indications of this development are increased cases of human rights abuse, high numbers of illegal and unlicensed private security companies, and poor security service delivery.”

 

“These are further exacerbated by weak accountability and oversight mechanisms, ineffective regulations and outdated legislations”, Agomoh said.

 

“As part of steps targeted at x-raying the issues with the aim of  holistically tackling the problem, PRAWA in partnership with African Security  Sector Network and the support of Geneva Centre for Security  Sector Governance conducted a Baseline Study of Private Security Regulation in the ECOWAS Region to strengthen private security governance through the enhancement of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities facing private companies, and promotion of effective oversight and accountability mechanism through the implementation of regional policy frameworks”, she added.

 

Agomoh sai the research which was conducted in five countries within the region found that private security companies play critical roles in the security architecture of member states.

 

She said that the research also shows that weak accountability and oversight mechanism, ineffective regulations and outdated legislations have made it difficult to address issues of human rights abuses, illegal and unlicensed private security companies, and poor security service delivery in the region.

 

She said “We will be having robust engagements targeted at validating the findings of the research. We look forward to receiving valued inputs. It is also important to state that we are open to receiving contributions that would further enrich this report from other countries where this research could not be conducted as a result of one constraint or the other.”

 

“To all the researchers, the reviewers and all who contributed in one way or the other to the production of this report, we say a very big thank you”, Agomoh said.