Ijaw youths yesterday advised the Federal Government not to deploy troops, fighter jets and other military hardwares in the Niger Delta to flush out militants.
As part of their resolutions after meeting in Yenagoa under their umbrella body, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, the youths said militants had no permanent location in the creeks, like the Sambisa Forest that provide a safe haven for Boko Haram in the Northeast.
IYC, in a communique signed by the its President, Mr. Udengs Eradiri and Spokesman Eric Omare, said militants claiming responsibilities for bombings of oil installations were adopting guerrilla tactics to carry out their criminal acts.
The group said instead of resorting to military option, the security agencies should adopt intelligence gathering to stop attacks and arrest militants.
IYC said: “We strongly advise against this option. It is not and can never be a solution to Niger Delta’s quest for better deal. Those advising military option are enemies of your government, Niger Deltans and the people of Nigeria.
“In the first place, the Niger Delta militants that have claimed responsibility for attacks on oil facilities are not stationed in any particular place like Boko Haram in Sambisa forest. There is no Sambisa forest in the Niger Delta region where the military can go and confront insurgents.
“Those carrying out these attacks have adopted a guerilla strategy; hence the solution is for the relevant security to deepen intelligence, gathering working with local communities and not full-scale military onslaught on the communities and people.
“Any full scale military action in the Niger Delta would only succeed in killing innocent people and destroying of communities that are also victims of the militancy. It is worthy to note that Gbaramatu Kingdom that the military has been consistently harassing is not the headquarters of any of the militant groups.
“The Gbaramatu people are peace-loving Ijaw people and the military must stop the consistent invasion of Gbaramatu communities or any other Ijaw community.”
The group said for permanent peace to be achieved, Nigeria must be restructured, with substantial powers given to federating units to manage and develop their people and communities.
The IYC said the country as presently constituted is suffocating and hindering federation units from developing their potential.
The group said: “We must decentralize to discourage the rent-seeking mentality of the federating units. Our inability to make progress is as a result of the defective structure and the type of leadership it has produced.
“It is a sad commentary that so many states can no longer meet their statutory and basic obligation despite the abundance of untapped natural human resources. What is lacking is the enabling structure to explore available resources to the benefit of the federating units and their people.
“This country cannot survive for long with the current practice where states go to the centre to collect their monthly allocation – a scenario of complete economic and socio-political meltdown is no longer a probability but a certainty in the horizon with catastrophic consequence for the country”.
The IYC said it was in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to fight criminality in the region within the ambit of the rule of law and respect for human rights.
But it lamented that the fight against militancy had been used as a subterfuge to arrest and detain many Niger Deltans, especially Ijaw youths.
It named some of the Ijaw youths languishing in detention without trial as the “Oporoza 10”, Mr. Ezekiel Daniel, ex-militant leader Aboy Francis Muturu, Alex Odogwu.
The IYC demanded their release without further delay or they should be charged to a court of competent jurisdiction, if the government has any case against them.
“It is illegal and height of impunity for people to be arrested and dump at detention centres without trial in the name of fighting militancy. Democracy thrives when the rule of law reigns. The arrest and indefinite detention without trial of Niger Delta youths is a threat to democracy,” the IYC said.
The youths urged President Buhari to display sincerity of purpose in resolving the crisis.
IYC said it frowned on the consistent blackmail of Niger Delta leaders, especially former President Goodluck Jonathan who voluntarily offered to support efforts toward the resolution of the crisis.
“Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, just like the former President, deserved respect and is absolutely unfair for people who work with you to be sponsoring blackmail against him. This is totally unacceptable to the IYC and the entire Ijaw nation and should not be allowed to continue.
“The intention of those persons is to make the Niger Delta situation look complicated and frustrate efforts to peaceful resolution so as to justify their evil plan to attack communities, kill innocent people and make money from the process.
“Some of these persons are high ranking government officials in the country and political leaders. They are behind the several conflicting press statements with different pseudo militant groups – all in a bid to frustrate efforts at bringing peace to the region for fraudulent monetary gains.
“Therefore, we demand that efforts toward the resolution of the crisis must be bipartisan and with sincerity of purpose.
“We further advise, just like your predecessors did, that you personally drive the dialogue to achieve peaceful and lasting solutions to the Niger Delta questions, your participation in the process will checkmate and drive out the shenanigans.”