JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AS AGENTS OF PEACEBUILDING AND NATIONAL SECURITY BY DR AKANDE KAZEEM BABATUNDE JP, PEIPA, mni

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AS AGENTS OF PEACEBUILDING AND NATIONAL SECURITY BY DR AKANDE KAZEEM BABATUNDE JP, PEIPA, mni – CHAIRMAN GOVERNING COUNCIL AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. www.afriijp.org – 08036669747, 07080570388

MORE JUSTICE, MORE PEACE

POLICY FRAMEWORK

From Ceremonial Title to Strategic Security. Nigeria confronts complex security challenges insurgency, banditry, communal clashes, and social tensions. Yet, in the midst of these crises, one of the most accessible instruments of peace remains largely overlooked: the Justices of the Peace. Established under the Justices of the Peace Act and various State Laws, Justices of the Peace were designed to perform minor judicial functions and maintain order. But today’s realities demand more. In many communities where police presence is thin and courts are distant, the Justice of the Peace is the closest face of justice, authority, and the Nigerian state. The Paradox: Despite their statutory status, community legitimacy, and nationwide spread, Justices of the Peace remain underutilized, ceremonial, and disconnected from Nigeria’s national security system.

Policy Thrust: To reposition and formally integrate Justices of the Peace as frontline civilian actors in peacebuilding, conflict mediation, early warning, and national security support within Nigeria’s non-kinetic security framework.

Strategic Rationale Accessibility: Justices of the Peace exist in all 774 Local Government Areas closer to citizens than courts or senior security officials.

Legitimacy: They command dual authority — legal and communal — making them trusted mediators.

Prevention: Their core mandate of “keeping the peace” aligns directly with human security and conflict prevention doctrine.

Early Warning: The minor disputes they resolve daily are the sparks that ignite major conflicts if ignored.

Policy Doctrine: Where soldiers react, Justices of the Peace can prevent.

CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

CONCLUSION

From Silent Officers to Security Multipliers Nigeria cannot continue to treat its most accessible peace actors as ceremonial ornaments. Justices of the Peace are statutory officers already embedded in every community. They are the law when police are absent. They are the court when justice is distant. They are the first opportunity for peace before conflict erupts.

The Security Calculus:

Every land dispute resolved by a Justice of the Peace is a communal crisis prevented.

Every family conflict mediated is a youth diverted from crime.

Every early warning transmitted is a terrorist cell disrupted before it strikes. These are not mere legal functions. These are national security operations. Therefore, this paper submits that Justices of the Peace must be deliberately transitioned from honorary appointees to operational assets in Nigeria’s non-kinetic security doctrine. Their pen, their presence, and their proximity constitute a force multiplier that no military deployment can replicate.

Final Policy Charge: Justice delayed is insecurity multiplied. Justice delivered early by Justices of the Peace is national security guaranteed. To secure Nigeria, we must empower those who keep the peace daily. A nation that invests in its Justices of the Peace invests in prevention, saves blood, and secures its future.

Recommendation One: Strategic Re-Designation

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and State Governments, should redesignate Justices of the Peace as Community Peace and Security Officers within the National Security Strategy.

Implementation Strategies

i. The Federal Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser to formulate and issue a National Policy on Justices of the Peace and National Security expanding their mandate to mediation, early warning, and peacebuilding, by Second Quarter, 2026.

ii. The National Judicial Council in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies to initiate amendment of the Justices of the Peace Act and relevant State Laws to incorporate peacebuilding, human security, and national security support as statutory functions, by Third Quarter, 2026.

iii. The Office of the National Security Adviser to integrate Chairpersons of State Councils of Justices of the Peace as non-voting members of State Security Councils, by Fourth Quarter, 2026.

Recommendation Two: Legal and Financial Empowerment

The National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly should enact harmonized legislation to provide legal backing, operational powers, and sustainable funding for Justices of the Peace in peacebuilding and national security.

Implementation Strategies

i. The Federal Ministry of Justice to draft and sponsor the Justices of the Peace National Security Functions Amendment Bill to the National Assembly for national standards, by Second Quarter, 2026.

ii. The State Houses of Assembly to enact corresponding laws providing for quarterly honoraria, office logistics, and legal protection for accredited Justices of the Peace, by Fourth Quarter, 2026.

iii. The National Assembly to amend the Police Trust Fund Act and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Act to allocate 0.5 percent of annual accruals for training, equipping, and mobilization of Justices of the Peace, by Third Quarter, 2026.

Recommendation Three: Professionalization and Capacity Building

The National Judicial Council, in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies through the National Peace and Security Centre, should transform Justices of the Peace into Certified Peace and Security Mediators.

Implementation Strategies

i. The National Judicial Council in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies to develop and approve a National Standard Curriculum for Justices of the Peace covering Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation, Early Warning Systems, Counter-Radicalisation, Human Rights, and National Security, by Third Quarter, 2026.

ii. The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution to train, assess, and certify 25,000 Justices of the Peace across all 774 Local Government Areas as Accredited Peace and Security Mediators, by Second Quarter, 2026.

iii. The Alumni Association of the National Institute to establish mentorship and monitoring platforms for continuous capacity development of Justices of the Peace, by Third Quarter, 2026.

Recommendation Four: Operational Integration with Security Agencies

The Federal and State Governments should establish formal operational linkages between Justices of the Peace and security agencies for intelligence sharing, conflict de-escalation, and preventive response.

implementation Strategies

i. The Nigeria Police Force to establish Justices of the Peace Liaison Desks at all Divisional Police Headquarters for structured case referrals, joint mediation, and information exchange, by Third Quarter, 2026.

ii. The Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and State Police Commands to integrate accredited Justices of the Peace into Local Intelligence and Early Warning Networks for real-time threat reporting, by Third Quarter, 2026.

iii. The National Information Technology Development Agency in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser to develop and deploy the Peace and Justice Reporting Platform for Justices of the Peace to digitally log disputes, interventions, and early warning signals, by Third Quarter, 2026.

Recommendation Five: Public Reorientation and Trust Building

The Federal Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency and the National Human Rights Commission, should restore public confidence and ensure accountability of Justices of the Peace as agents of peace and security.

Implementation Strategies

i. The National Orientation Agency to design and execute a nationwide strategic communication campaign themed “Your Nearest Justice: Your First Peace” to reposition Justices of the Peace in public consciousness, by Fourth Quarter, 2026.

ii. The Federal Ministry of Justice to publish and annually update a National Register of Accredited Justices of the Peace and circulate it to all security agencies, traditional institutions, Local Government Councils, and Courts, by Fourth Quarter, 2026.

iii. The National Human Rights Commission to establish a Justices of the Peace Oversight and Complaints Mechanism to enforce ethical standards, prevent abuse, and ensure human rights compliance, by Second Quarter, 2026.

REFERENCES

Federal Republic of Nigeria. Justices of the Peace Act, Cap J4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Federal Government Press, 2004.

Federal Republic of Nigeria. Police Act 2020. Federal Government Press, 2020.

Office of the National Security Adviser. National Security Strategy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2019. Federal Government of Nigeria, 2019.

National Judicial Council. Guidelines for the Appointment, Conduct and Discipline of Justices of the Peace in Nigeria. NJC, 2021.

Federal Ministry of Police Affairs. Community Policing Framework and Guidelines for Nigeria. Federal Government of Nigeria, 2020.

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Strategic Conflict Assessment of Nigeria. IPCR, 2022.

National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. Non-Kinetic Approaches to National Security: Policy Options for Nigeria. NIPSS Policy Paper Series, 2023.

United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Report 1994: New Dimensions of Human Security. Oxford University Press, 1994.

Buzan, B. People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1991.

Lederach, J.P. Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies. United States Institute of Peace Press, 1997.

National Human Rights Commission. Report on Access to Justice and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Nigeria. NHRC, 2023.

Alumni Association of the National Institute. AANI National Security Intervention Framework: Recommendations to the Federal Government. AANI, 2024.

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