extremism

In a bid to deepen local peacebuilding efforts and also confront the growing threat of online extremist propaganda, HumAngle Foundation, sister organisation of HumAngle Media, on Wednesday, June 25, brought together 15 civil society actors for a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion in Kaduna, North West Nigeria. 

The event is part of the organisation’s “Advancing Peace and Security through Journalism” project, which aims to equip journalists and civil society groups with tools to strengthen civic accountability and reduce conflict triggers.

With support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Foundation had earlier, in April, trained 15 journalists from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones during a three-day workshop in Abuja. The April training focused on conflict-sensitive reporting and innovative storytelling tools.

At the Kaduna roundtable, Angela Umoru-David, Director of the Foundation, introduced the participants to the HumAngle Freedom of Information (FOI) platform. Launched in 2024, the platform simplifies and facilitates the process of demanding accountability from government institutions.

“It is not just about asking what money was spent on,” Angela said. “It’s about probing how inclusion is budgeted for. Is there a ministry responsible? How do [ministries, departments, agencies] use their funds? What are the policies around gender inclusion and mainstreaming? These are the questions civil society actors should ask.”

She explained that HumAngle’s headquarters in Abuja is strategically placed to support FOI submissions on behalf of organisations working at the grassroots. Participants were also given a walkthrough of the platform’s interface and practical tips for navigating it.

The next session on fact-checking extremist content online was led by Aliyu Dahiru, who heads HumAngle’s Extremism and Radicalisation desk. He explored the strategies used by extremist groups for propaganda, radicalisation, and recruitment, particularly through social media platforms. 

“In Northern Nigeria, Facebook is the dominant platform used by extremist groups,” Aliyu said, highlighting how extremists exploit emotional appeals and information overload to spread false narratives and incite violence.

He cited injustice, poverty, lack of opportunity, and ethno-religious mistrust as key drivers of radicalisation in the region. Aliyu encouraged civil society organisations (CSOs) to monitor local Facebook and WhatsApp groups for misinformation, train community members to detect fake and radical content, and partner with social media influencers to push counter-narratives.

“You can also document and share harmful content with us,” he added. “At HumAngle, we fact-check, analyse, and monitor. If you share with us, we will help verify the claims.”

Aliyu introduced the participants to practical verification tools such as InVID and Google Reverse Image Search for authenticating videos and photos.

The event concluded with a roundtable discussion moderated by Salmah Jumah, HumAngle Foundation’s Senior Programmes Officer. During the discussions, participants exchanged insights on extremist campaigns they have witnessed and the emerging challenges around the use of new media in conflict contexts.

While commending HumAngle for the initiative, Zainab Ibrahim, a participant who works with the Kaduna State Corporation, said that the roundtable reminded her that the spread of disinformation on violent extremism is not limited to social media. “Even the mainstream media is guilty of that,” she said, pledging to be more mindful in her coverage of sensitive issues. 

Another participant, Hadiza Ismail, noted that she learned more about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in fuelling confusion and spreading fake content. “AI is here to stay, fortunately and unfortunately,” she noted, pointing out that AI-generated images and videos are often circulated by older people who may struggle to distinguish between real and fake visuals. 

Hadiza said she is committed to contributing to community-level sensitisation to bridge this generational knowledge gap and reduce vulnerability to misleading content.

The roundtable reaffirmed HumAngle Foundation’s commitment to empowering local actors with the knowledge and tools necessary to counter extremism and foster inclusive, sustainable peacebuilding in conflict-affected regions.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE had planned the visit to discuss Palestinian statehood and end to war on Gaza.

Saudi Arabia has accused Israel of “extremism and rejection of peace” after it blocked a planned visit by Arab foreign ministers to the occupied West Bank.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made the remarks during a joint news conference in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Sunday with his counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain.

“Israel’s refusal of the committee’s visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for [a] peaceful pathway … It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance,” Prince Faisal said.

His comments followed Israel’s decision to block the Arab delegation from reaching Ramallah, where they were set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had planned the visit as part of efforts to support Palestinian diplomacy amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

Israel controls the airspace and borders of the West Bank, and on Friday announced it would not grant permission for the visit.

“The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state,” an Israeli official had said, adding that Israel will “not cooperate” with the visit.

Prince Faisal’s trip to the West Bank would have marked the first such visit by a top Saudi official in recent memory.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said blocking the trip was another example of how Israel was “killing any chance of a just and comprehensive” Arab-Israeli settlement.

An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is due to be held in New York from June 17 to 20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would cover security arrangements after a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians would remain on their land and foil any Israeli plans to evict them.

Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries, which favour a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.