The Unique Centre for Peace Building and Trauma Healing (UCPT) and Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Movement (JPRM) has appealed to residents of Iregwe community, Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau, to shun hate speech.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Iregwe community, over the years, had witnessed attacks and counter attacks that had led to loss of lives and property worth millions.
The Executive Director of UCPT, an NGO, Mr Zaka Mugu, made the appeal while speaking at stakeholders’ meeting to sensitise community leaders to the danger of hate speech.
He said the exercise was in collaboration with the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID).
Magu explained that the meeting aimed at curbing the spread of hate speeches and ensure peaceful coexistence in the community.
Mugu decried the increasing rate of hate speeches in the society, adding that the menace had contributed to the loss of lives and property in Iregwe land, Plateau, and Nigeria in general.
“This meeting is about curbing hate speech in the society using interfaith voices.
“This simply means we brought religious and community leaders here to speak with one voice towards ensuring peaceful coexistence.
“Hate speeches have caused serious problem in our society and this meeting seek to achieve the desired unity among the inhabitants of Iregwe land.
“So, we brought together these religious and community leaders to discuss and fashion out ways of curbing hate speeches that usually leads to the killings in the land,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Justina Nguobia, the Executive Director of JPRM, said the meeting aimed at strengthening relationships among the people of the community.
She said prior to the just concluded general polls, hate speech and rumour peddling were on the increase, hence the rationale for the meeting in addressing the menace.
Nguobia also said the meeting would enable key stakeholders to dialogue with a view to fashioning out possible ways of stemming hate speeches in the community for the good of all.
“The major reason we brought these leaders together in this meeting is to see how best we can strengthen relationship among them.
NAN also reports that UCPT and JPRM are both certified fellows of KAICIID. (NAN)
