JPRM originally started in the 1980s as a small group known as “The Justice Group” formed through the mobilization of community development activities of the Institute of Church & Society/Northern Area Secretariat in Jos. As its activities of mobilization continued, the rural community members in and around Gurum-Nongvan eventually agreed to transform it into an Association which was later accepted and registered in 1997 as a movement.

JPRM was started as a rural community initiated development organization, which pranged up or started through the mobilization effort of Rev. Habila M. Istifanus to address some identified peculiar problems militating against the development of people initially within Gurum-Pawo, Timdore and Yebbi districts. These efforts to mobilized communities to address their own problems were extended to other areas of need in Adamawa, Plateau and Kaduna States.

Far back in 1992 the Movement was already busy and was able to develop into a full-fledged non-governmental organization registering itself at the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja in 1997. The Movement started initially to respond to social and economic crisis, which were so devastating to the lives and properties of our people. With that in mind it was formed to provide a forum where issues of economic, social Justice, peace promotion, public and community health matters, education, Christian-Muslim mutual relation, community conflict management strategies could be discussed and collectively act upon. Initially the group started as a “justice group” and intended to address the problems that existed between Christians and Muslims which was a serious cause of concern due to instability that it has generated and a serious impasse to social developments); in practice it was then to fight religious intolerance, illiteracy, corruption, ignorance, development setbacks and other social vices that militate against the development of the peasants. The programs of the group was designed in such a way that it could empower or enable the peasants to collectively approach their governments or their local authorities with their numerous development problems which they are already finding ways of addressing them, some of which the government was directly responsible.