Abuja – The Cross River State Government has joined other states in validating the revised Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PFNAP-PCVE), at a two-day workshop organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
Speaking after the session, Navy Commander Patrick Odiong (Rtd), State Security Adviser–South to the Governor of Cross River, said the revised policy expands the scope of government response to violent extremism beyond insurgency in the North-East to cover banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, piracy, cultism, and political violence now affecting every region of the country.
Odiong disclosed that Cross River’s contribution focused on addressing peculiar security challenges in the state such as sea piracy, communal clashes, chieftaincy disputes, boundary issues, militancy, kidnapping for ransom and sea robbery. He said the state pushed for strong emphasis on de-radicalisation, reintegration, and acceptance of ex-offenders back into communities.
“Our contribution emphasised building resilient communities through family, faith-based, and civic structures,” Odiong explained. “We must address root causes like poverty, exclusion, and lack of justice while reducing the triggers of violent crime.”
He further noted that Cross River is piloting community-based initiatives such as profiling at-risk youths, establishing vigilante cooperatives, and partnering with traditional and faith institutions to strengthen early warning systems. This is in line with the governor’s mantra of people’s first, “the investment in security, infrastructure, youth and women, including people with disabilities (PWD) and community driven agricultural and skills acquisition and empowerment, as the state is witnessing massive and uncommon transformation in every sector of the economy and socio-political lives of people and the state,” he said.
He added that the validation exercise, held between September 23 and 24, 2025, was to confirm inputs made during an earlier review in April, and ensure the framework reflects realities across Nigeria’s states and geo-political zones.
Odiong, who delivered Cross River’s closing remarks at the session, assured that the state would continue to align its security strategy with the federal government’s whole-of-society approach to tackling violent extremism.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with the Hedayah International Centre of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, was supported by the European Union.
