Dr. Abiye Mark Iruayenema is a Socio-cognitive Research Psychologist, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) and Strategic Communications expert. He has overseen the provision of mental health and psychosocial support to over 20,000 survivors of the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency in the northeast of Nigeria, as well as anti-gender based violence programmes for women and children. He has overseen the institution of peace mechanisms in several communities affected by Boko Haram, particularly in Maiduguri, Borno State. Through a UNICEF funded programme, he is currently overseeing the provision of psychosocial support for school children who were recently kidnapped and released by bandits in the northwest of Nigeria. Prior to that, he had led a rehabilitation and reintegration programme for children formerly associated with armed groups, also funded by UNICEF. Dr. Iruayenama led the collection of data for UNDP’s ‘Journey to Extremism 2’ in Nigeria, Niger, Cameron and Chad. He created the Vulnerability to Violent Extremism Scale (VVES) used across several programmes in Nigeria and Syria.

 

Dr Iruayenama has facilitated several trainings on preventing violent extremism and mental health and psychosocial support to several practitioners in Nigeria, Indonesia, Iraq and Syria. He has worked on several publications for Hadeyah such as the Blueprint for Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centers and the LIVE Model. He has participated in many high-level multilateral engagements around peacebuilding, deradicalisation, rehabilitation, reintegration and psychosocial support, such as the UN’s Side Event to the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on guiding principles on rehabilitation and reintegration. He previously served in the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals. He has featured on several media outlets, including Aljazeera and has a PhD in Psychology from Brunel University London.