Former Military Governor of Kaduna
State, Col. Abubakar Umar(retd), on Tuesday warned President Muhammadu
Buhari against deploying troops and military hardware in the Niger Delta
to halt the activities of militants in the region.
Umar said the Federal Government’s
planned use of force to rout out militants, especially the Niger Delta
Avengers in the Niger Delta, was not the best option; adding that the
militants were still amenable to dialogue.
President Muhammad Buhari was, in a
statement credited to him by his Senior Special Assistant on Media
Affairs, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Nairobi, Kenya, quoted to have said that he
would treat Niger Delta agitators the same way he dealt with Boko Haram
if they failed to negotiate.
But the former governor in a statement
entitled, ‘War in the Niger Delta: A most dangerous option,’ argued that
the militants could not be treated like Boko Haram insurgents that had
killed over 20,000 Nigerians in the North-Eastern part of the country.
Umar argued that the Niger Delta
militants could not be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the
word, warning that collateral damages to any military option in that
region would be colossal.
Umar said, “I am really frightened by
the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta Region from where there are
some reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger
Delta militants. This is happening after the President was quoted as
vowing to deal with the militants as he did to Boko Haram.
“All factors considered, the use of
military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a
good option and must therefore be discarded.
“As a retired general, Mr. President is
well aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face
in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger
Delta region.
“The creeks are so heavily polluted with
oil, rendering them highly inflammable. It will take the firing of a
few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in
the inestimable collateral damage among innocent civilians.
“It is also difficult to see how an
armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region. Instead,
it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to the
total shutdown of all oil and gas operations in the area.”
The former governor added, “Besides, the
Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense
of the word. I believe they are amenable to meaningful dialogue.
“I need not to remind the President
that a war in the Niger Delta will be opposed by most objective
Nigerians and the international community as unjust and merely aimed at
the control and exploitation of the region’s oil and gas resources.
“I therefore beseech you, Mr. President,
in the name of all that is good, to continue to explore peaceful means
of resolving the Niger Delta crisis as painful as you may find this. May
God direct and guide you on the path of justice.”
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