POLICY BRIEF- PRIORITIZING THE VOICES OF WOMEN IN SECURITY USING THE SECOND GENERATION NATIONAL ACTION PLAN (2017-2020)

The role of women in peace and security in Nigeria, as in other parts of Africa, has received very little attention and appreciation. Since the return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria has faced myriads of conflicts – from Boko Haram insurgency in the North East to militancy in the South-South; massacres of persons by herders in the middle belt to kidnapping in the South East; to mention a few. According to WANEP Nigeria (2014) there were well over 5,000 theatres of violent conflicts in Nigeria. Such violent conflicts range from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East to militancy in the South-South, massacres of persons by herders in the Middle Belt to kidnapping in the South-East.