Benue State government in partnership with Lawyers Alert is launching a security awareness project known as People -Centred Public Safety (PCPS) programme in the State on the 24th February, 2026.
This was made known to newsmen by the President, Lawyers Alert, Dr Rommy Mom during a Press Conference held at the premises of the organisation in Makurdi the Benue State Capital.
Dr Mom explained that, People-Centred Public Safety is a structured, community-driven public safety framework that places citizens, especially women, youth, and the vulnerable groups at the centre of governance.
According to Mom, the programme is structured on community-driven public safety framework that places citizens especially women and youth in governance of their localities.
He stressed that, PCPS is a lawful, rights-based approach to strengthening collaboration between communities and formal security institutions, grounded firmly within Nigeria’s legal framework.
“The programme draws legitimacy from the Nigeria Police Act 2020 particularly its provisions on community policing, partnership, intelligence sharing, and public accountability. The Act explicitly recognises that effective policing requires community participation, transparency, and trust”.
“PCPS operationalises these principles in a practical, structured manner and aligns with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Act 2020, Human rights obligations binding on Nigeria and emphasised the Benue State Government’s mandate to protect lives and property as Public safety cannot be achieved by force alone. It must be built on trust, accountability, and partnership”, he stated.
The President further pointed out that, within the Benue Context, the State has endured persistent insecurity , including attacks on rural communities, displacement, farmer-herder conflict, banditry, and communal violence.
“These challenges have strained relationships between communities and security institutions. The question we asked was simple: How do we rebuild trust while strengthening security effectiveness? The answer was People-Centred Public Safety”, Rommy maintained.
He revealed that, the PCPS recorded huge successes in Katsina-Ala and Guma Local Government Areas where Lawyers Alert established Community Policing Committees, Early Warning and Early Response Hubs, Structured dialogue platforms between citizens and security agencies, Women-inclusive safety consultations and Rights-based reporting mechanisms.
According to him, it resulted in improved information flow between communities and security actors increased women participation in safety discussions and the subsequent reduction in mistrust and rumor-driven panic.
Importantly, he said PCPS has demonstrated that when communities are treated as partners rather than suspects, intelligence improves and violence reduces.
He revealed that, following demonstrated impacts in Katsina-Ala and Guma, the programme has now been introduced in Agatu LGA , another conflict-affected area with significant security concerns.
He emphasised that, “this launch is not ceremonial but represent government ownership of a tested security innovation and institutional commitment to rights-based security governance.
He appealed to the good people of the state, the media, Traditional leaders, Youth groups, Women leaders, Faith-based organizations, the media, to support the institutionalization of People-Centred Public Safety.
“Security is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a shared civic duty. We particularly urged the media to continue to report responsibly, verify information, and highlight positive community-security partnerships that strengthen peace”.
