Threat by a militant group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), to launch six missiles in the Niger Delta from Tuesday has sparked panic in the geo-political zone. Residents of Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states in particular are apprehensive of the likely effects of the missile launch on an area that is already in turmoil over the spate of attacks on oil installations in Bayelsa and Delta states by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
Some of the people who spoke to The Nation on the matter fear that the militants usually carry out their threats, adding that those that were issued by NDA had come to pass without anyone preventing them.
Others berated the militants and queried their motive for wanting to cause grieve among the people they claim to be defending.
Comrade Ben Tari, leader of Eye of Niger Delta (END), said in Port Harcourt that no true son of the Niger Delta would threaten the people the way the JNDLF and the NDA are going about their business.
He queried: “Are you sure that these people are from the Niger Delta? They say they are new but they are not new. They are still the same people that broke away from earlier groups because they refused to be controlled.
“They are complaining about government and the oil companies, killing the means of livelihood of the Niger Delta people, such as the aquatic system.
“Now they want to launch missiles to kill us and our soil.
“If they want to fight our cause, they should make use of the International Court.”
The President of Aggrieved Niger Delta, Mr. Prince Amatari Bipeledei, described the missile launch threat as a needless venture and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to have a rethink about military action to confront the Niger Delta militants.
He called for dialogue instead.
Bipeledei said: “Nobody has ever achieved anything with violence. I want the Avengers to apply dialogue and a sense of maturity, understanding and wisdom.
“I am for peace, and to be frank, agitation may not be meaningful because it has put the region in a tight situation.
“I am not happy about the inability of the government to take things seriously until they have gone out of hand.
“These youths would not have gone this far if the previous government had considered our challenges.”
A former military administrator of Bayelsa State, Colonel Edor Obi (rtd) advised the Federal Government to exercise caution in handling the problem, noting that the challenge cannot be solved militarily.
He said: “The killing of soldiers and civilians and bombing of oil facilities are condemnable, but the Federal Government would have to thread with caution in handling the matter.
“It will require a lot of tact to address the problem. But one thing the government must do is open up communication channels because the problem cannot be solved militarily.
“If we are not careful in handling the problem, it could become a more complex national security challenge than terrorism.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Ladi Williams, also advised the Federal Government against using only force to address the problem. Instead, he said, the government should use the carrot and stick approach to resolve the challenge.
“The government should talk to them a little and fight them a little,” he said.
“The present development portends doom and sodomy for the country. It is bad for the investment drive of the country and not helping the image of the country internationally.
“The President must constitute a war and peace council that should not consist of officials of the government alone but everybody who genuinely wants an end to this problem.
“The young men making up the group should also toe the part of peace and avoid wasting their lives.”
Source:The Nation
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