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A group known as the Bayelsa State Peace Architecture has called for judicial support for the establishment of the proposed Bayelsa State Community Peace Commission.
The group noted that the initiative would strengthen conflict prevention and institutionalise sustainable peacebuilding across the state.
Secretary of the Bayelsa State Peace Architecture, Dr Inebaraton Preye, appealed during a visit to the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State at the Multi-Door Courthouse in Yenagoa, the city capital.
He explained that the proposed Commission would build on the five guiding principles: Early Warning and Early Response, Inclusivity and Participation, Coordination and Partnership, Local Ownership and Mediation, and Data-Driven Decision Making.
He also said the framework, which is established as a home-grown multi-stakeholder peacebuilding model, has recorded significant achievements since 2023, adding that the Peace Architecture has processed 312 early warning alerts, with 261 resolved through preventive dialogue before escalating into violence. While Rapid Response Teams were deployed to 18 high-risk communities to prevent crises and reduce fatalities.
Dr. Preye also disclosed that Women Peace Platforms have been established in 16 communities across the state’s eight local government areas, with more than 400 trained women mediators helping to resolve domestic, land, and market disputes, adding that over 600 youths have been trained under the Bayelsa Youth Peace Corps as peace advocates, contributing to efforts aimed at reducing cult-related violence in several parts of the state.
On community mediation, Dr Preye said the Peace Architecture has trained and certified more than 1,480 community mediators using Alternative Dispute Resolution principles and has successfully mediated 1,321 communal disputes, including land, chieftaincy, and farmer-herder conflicts across Bayelsa.
He further stated that the organisation has published 12 quarterly conflict trend reports since 2023 and recently launched the Digital Bayelsa Conflict Tracker to provide real-time data for security planning and peace interventions.
Dr. Preye said the proposed Bayelsa State Community Peace Commission Bill is intended to provide a legal framework for sustainable funding of peace initiatives, strengthen collaboration among the judiciary, security agencies, government institutions and community peace structures, promote inclusive participation, and integrate community mediation with court-annexed Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms.
He also maintained that institutionalising the Commission would move Bayelsa from reactive peacekeeping to proactive peacebuilding, commending the state’s judiciary for its role in promoting alternative dispute resolution and supporting initiatives that have contributed to peace and stability in the state.
“Working with Peace stakeholders across the State in the past three years has only reaffirmed our belief that a peaceful Bayelsa can only be sustained when we institutionalise the process using a bottom-up approach”.
As part of the event, the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State was presented with the 2025 Peace Icon of the Year Award in recognition of her contributions to peacebuilding, support for Alternative Dispute Resolution, and commitment to community dialogue as a pathway to justice.
Responding, the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Honourable Justice Matilda Ayemieye, expressed appreciation to the Bayelsa State Peace Architecture for the Award and the visit, and described the honour due her as heartwarming, appreciating the peace-building efforts of the group.
Justice Ayemieye also emphasised the need for more efforts to deepen Sensitisation on Alternative Dispute Resolution approach were different pathways such as arbitration, mediation, conciliation and negotiation are utilised to ensure peace and harmony in the society, encouraging SPA to engage citizens on the need for settlement rather than litigation that most times lead to an ugly end.
“The judiciary under my watch is open to meaningful partnership and collaboration to build sustainable peace and lasting laws that will transform the peace architecture of the State”
According to her, the establishment of mediation centres by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal reflects growing national recognition of ADR as an effective dispute resolution mechanism, saying that the Bayelsa Multi-Door Courthouse was created to provide citizens with multiple pathways for resolving disputes while promoting timely, cost-effective and amicable outcomes.
