Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Usani Usani; and governors of the Niger Delta states including Mr Ben Ayade (Cross River State); Mr Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa State); and Mr Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, have condemned the use of force as a conflict resolution tool.

They stated that rather than resort to brute force as a conflict resolution tool, the Federal Government should negotiate with agitators to address the issues.

They argued that since force had never succeeded in permanently solving any conflict anywhere in the world, it should be dumped.

Usani, who chaired the public lecture on, “Insecurity: Socio-economic impact and conflict resolution perspectives,” organised by Nigeria Police in Uyo on Tuesday, revealed that militant forces had overwhelmed some governments in some countries, adding that Nigeria might be heading towards the same direction if the current approach was not changed.

“For any reason if our agitations are not addressed through dialogue about issues that concern us, it may result in our gradually walking towards the loss of a nation, the loss of sovereignty, and none of us shall eventually be better for it as we will no longer have assets that we can call our homes.

“This is the reason I think security issues must be taken personal in the sense that when we find anything that threatens society we have to do our best through dialogue, report the issue to security agents or by even seeking for political solution, otherwise, it will be terrible for all of us at the end.

“The use of force is not an alternative to conflict resolution. The resolution of conflict by preventing them from occurring gives us confidence in society and also enhances the work of security agents,” he said.

The minister added that the greatest threat today in Nigeria was cultism.

He explained that cultism was not peculiar to any ethnic, religion or group, but it is a crime that had pervaded the entire society.

In his comment, Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, attributed the insecurity in the country to conflict between the security agencies and the state governments.

According to him, commissioners of police are not allowed to work closely with state governments to nip security challenges in the bud.

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, who hosted the event, said that there was no Federal Government presence in the Niger Delta despite the region’s immense contributions to the country’s development.

According to him, the Federal Government must provide security to ensure the flow of commerce and industry in the country.

The governor, however, commended the police and all other security agencies for their performance in curbing insecurity in the country.

Inspector-General of
Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, called for support and cooperation of leaders in the South-South geopolitical zone, especially the state governors to tackle insecurity challenges in the area.

He added that the public lecture series being organised across the entire geopolitical zones in the country was crucial in resolving security challenges facing the nation.

Idris said, “Every nation deserves security for its social and economic development. Since assumption of office my stewardship has adopted some preventive strategies to boost most of our efforts in checking crime and criminality.

“Let me say that these preventive strategies and arrests have successfully checked the activities of kidnappers, armed robbers and other heinous crimes in Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, the South-South geopolitical zone, insurgency and cattle-rustling in the North-East and many parts of the country.

“I am not unaware that pockets of these criminal activities still persist in the country; hence there is the need to constantly engage with you to find lasting solutions. We cannot do it alone.

“I want to assure you that the police under my watch are committed to defeating all security challenges confronting our dear country. We need the support of the South-South people and that of all Nigerians.

“On the issue of conflict resolution perspective to insecurity, it is appropriate to call on the Niger Deltans, especially the youths not to resort to militancy and other forms of criminality as a way of resolving their grievances.

“They should constantly engage the government through legitimate channels under our laws to resolve whatever issue they have. This is the only assured way of peace and development in the region.”

However, Chief of the Defence Staff, Mr Abayomi Olonisakin, on Tuesday said the armed forces would remain committed to the defence of the country’s territorial integrity.

The CDS, who appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his visit to the troops in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Sunday, for the Independence Day celebration, said the gesture had boosted the morale of the soldiers.
Olonisakin made these remarks on his official Twitter handle.

Olonisakin, however, assured Nigerians that the armed forces remained committed to the country.

He said, “Our appreciation to the Commander-in-Chief for his morale boosting visit to the troops on October 1. Thank you, most sincerely. The armed forces of Nigeria remain committed to the defence of our country’s territorial integrity.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has cautioned residents not to panic as troops commenced movement of heavy duty equipment to Edo, Delta and Ondo states ahead of next Saturday’s commencement of Exercise Crocodile Smile ll in Niger Delta region.

In a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4th Brigade Nigerian Army, Benin, Mr Mohammed Maidawa, on Tuesday in Effurun, Delta State, the military said the operation was a training exercise aimed at enhancing the combat skills of its men.

Maidawa stated that during the exercise, the operatives would also undertake free medical outreach, quick impact project and environmental sanitation among others in the affected states to promote military-civil relationship.

 He particularly appealed to residents in the affected states not to panic on sight of troops and heavy equipment being deployed for the purpose of the exercise as it was not meant to fight any individual or groups in the region.

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