Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
The Plateau State Government and the Kukah Centre are pushing for the formal adoption and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Operation Rainbow, the state-owned security outfit, in an effort to strengthen community security, accountability and respect for human rights.
The call was made in Jos on Tuesday during a stakeholder town hall advocacy meeting themed “Improving Community Security Initiative for Accountable Service Delivery II.” The meeting focused on strengthening the operational framework guiding Operation Rainbow and improving coordination between community-based security structures and conventional security agencies.
The initiative was organised by the Kukah Centre under the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria Programme (SPRiNG), an initiative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office implemented by Tetra Tech International Development in partnership with the Kukah Centre.
Plateau Government backs clearer security guidelines
The Plateau State Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, represented at the event by Barrister Christopher Bot, said the development of the SOP was timely as security challenges become increasingly complex.
Daffi said effective security institutions require more than statutory mandates, arguing that clear operational guidelines are necessary to promote professionalism, transparency, accountability, human rights protection and cooperation among security agencies.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring that security operations remain within the framework of the Nigerian Constitution and applicable laws.
According to him, the SOP would help establish a balance between the responsibility of security institutions to protect communities and the obligation to respect citizens’ fundamental rights.
Daffi described Operation Rainbow as an important component of Plateau State’s security architecture, particularly in intelligence support and community engagement, while complementing conventional security agencies.
He urged stakeholders to support the institutionalisation of the procedures, saying security remains a collective responsibility.
Traditional council calls for inclusion
The Chairman of the Plateau State Traditional Council of Chiefs and Emirs and Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba, who was represented by Da Gyang Balak, also backed the initiative.
Buba described the stakeholder engagement as important to peacebuilding and community security in Plateau State.
He said the state’s experience of both peaceful coexistence and periods of insecurity demonstrated the need for stronger partnerships among communities, government institutions, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, women and young people.
He further stressed that inclusion should remain central to local security and peacebuilding efforts, noting that groups that are often underrepresented can provide valuable knowledge about security conditions in their communities.
The traditional council chairman also cautioned that producing an SOP would not by itself improve security operations.
He said its effectiveness would ultimately depend on ownership, formal adoption, implementation, monitoring and continuous review.
About 300 Operation Rainbow personnel trained
A representative of the Coordinator of Operation Rainbow, Mrs. Fadasah Binta, said the Kukah Centre’s intervention had already contributed to capacity building within the security outfit.
She said about 300 operatives had been trained across local governments and wards during the current intervention.
The training, she said, exposed personnel to issues they had previously lacked sufficient knowledge of and provided an opportunity for the outfit to strengthen its operational practices.
Earlier in March, the Kukah Centre had also been involved in specialised training for Operation Rainbow personnel on standard operating procedures and rules of engagement. Radio Nigeria North Central reported at the time that 300 personnel were being trained, with the intention that knowledge gained would be shared with a wider pool of personnel across Plateau’s 17 local government areas.
SOP developed following assessment of security framework
Kukah Centre Project Manager Bamber Terseer said the SOP was developed after an assessment of the legal and operational framework surrounding Operation Rainbow.
He said the assessment identified gaps, including the absence of clear guiding principles for the outfit’s operations.
According to Terseer, the lack of such principles was identified as one factor associated with human rights concerns in the operation of the security structure.
The Centre subsequently subjected the SOP to a validation process involving stakeholders in Plateau State to ensure that the document reflected the state’s security environment rather than functioning as a generic framework imposed from outside.
The approach builds on earlier work by the Kukah Centre and Plateau authorities. In March, a validation workshop brought together stakeholders including the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Operation Rainbow and civil society organisations to review the framework and improve coordination.
Plateau Peace Building Agency highlights implementation challenges
The Director General of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, Dr Julie Sanda, said her agency works closely with Operation Rainbow and recognises its role in the state’s security architecture.
She also pointed to operational gaps that have emerged since the establishment of the outfit, including challenges surrounding early warning and response.
The SOP process is therefore intended not only to clarify responsibilities but also to strengthen accountability and improve the way security operations are monitored.
Terseer said the validation process was designed to ensure that relevant stakeholders had an opportunity to contribute to the document and develop a sense of ownership.
He said the next stage was to secure the commitment of key stakeholders and obtain formal state adoption of the SOP as the working document for Operation Rainbow.
Why the Operation Rainbow SOP matters
Operation Rainbow was established by the Plateau State Government in 2010 as a community-oriented security structure in response to the state’s security challenges. Previous reporting has described its role as involving early warning, community engagement and collaboration with conventional security agencies.
The push for a formal SOP therefore comes at a point when the state is seeking to make community security operations more structured and accountable.
A clearly adopted framework can define responsibilities, establish procedures for engagement, clarify relationships with other security institutions and provide standards against which personnel conduct can be assessed.
For communities, the broader issue is not simply whether an operational document exists, but whether its provisions are consistently implemented and monitored.
What happens next
The immediate objective is to secure formal adoption of the validated SOP by the Plateau State Government and establish it as the operational framework for Operation Rainbow.
The Kukah Centre has also indicated that the training of personnel and stakeholder validation are intended to provide the foundation for implementation.
Further monitoring will be important to determine whether the procedures improve coordination, accountability, response mechanisms and human-rights compliance in practice.
For Plateau communities facing continuing security concerns, the effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend on how consistently the agreed procedures are translated into day-to-day security operations.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Punch Newspapers — reporting on the Plateau State Government and Kukah Centre’s advocacy for formal adoption of Operation Rainbow SOPs.
- Punch Newspapers — background on the Kukah Centre’s partnership with Plateau State on Operation Rainbow’s security framework.
- Radio Nigeria North Central — report on Kukah Centre training of Operation Rainbow personnel on rules of engagement.
- Punch Newspapers — report on specialised training for Operation Rainbow personnel.
