NYERHOVWO OGHENETEJIRI

The federal government has been called upon to invest more in the intelligence arm of the nation’s security network by procuring modern state-of-the-art security equipments with a view to overcome many of the prevailing security challenges facing nation.

Chief Favour Izoukumor

This call was made by Chief Favour Izoukumor, a prominent Ijaw chief and spokesman, Ogbe-ljoh/Warri Kingdom while speaking to journalists in Warri over the security situation in the Niger Delta, he admonished the military to respect the fundamental human rights of law abiding Ijaw people they come in contact with in the process of carrying out their statutory and constitutional duties in Ijaw communities.

Chief Izoukumor who noted that the state of infrastructural and physical development in the oil-rich region had created an avenue for all sorts of intents, mostly criminal, to wreck havoc on, not just the nation’s economic mainstay, which is crude oil, but also the region’s environment, condemned the new wave of insurgency in the region just as he called on those behind the various groups to sheathe their sword in the overall interest of the nation.

The spokesman of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom suggested that there should be immediate dialogue between the federal government and the region’s stakeholders, immediate commencement of academic activities at the Maritime University, Okerenkoko as part of some of the first steps that should be taken to curb the activities of the insurgents.

Speaking on the need to restructure the nation’s intelligence agencies, the prominent Ijaw chief has this to say, “the federal government needs to work more on intelligence gathering when it comes to investigations because I believe that before anything will happen, the people would have been talking; like all those expression of annoyance and things like that, those are information that neutral persons could have gathered as intelligence gathering (information) and make genuine recommendations that could be used to avert crisis/hostilities.”

Chief Izoukumor added, “the country cannot always be left to situations that will leave it to suddenly shock both Nigerians and the international community. The reason this has continued to happen is because we do not have an effective intelligence gathering system, our security intelligence gathering, to my mind, is not effective enough.

Now we are just talking about what is happening in the Niger Delta, but we have a lot happening in other parts of nation that will give serious concern to genuine Nigerian citizens. I am using thi opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to invest more on the agencies responsible for intelligence gathering. When intelligence gathered are accurate, you will always get the right information when looking for Avengers or pipeline vandals and then be able to take the appropriate steps.”

While condemning the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), Chief Izoukumor advised government and the military not to sacrifice civility for brutality on the people.

He spoke further, “while I condemn the activities of the Avengers in the strongest term, I urge the federal government/military to ensure that the military carry out whatever activities they are doing with caution and be professional in handling the already very precarious situation in the Niger Delta region. We know that the armed forces are carrying out their constitutional duties, but they must ensure that the rights and safety of the already traumatized inhabitants of the communities are paramount at all times and protected. The reports of  alleged molestation, intimidation and maiming of innocent and law abiding citizens of Gbaramatu Kingdom while hunting militants is condemnable and calls for urgent and national attention.”

Chief Izoukumor further added, “I take note of the fact that no serious government will tolerate the activities of these so-called Avengers, particularly when critical national economic assets are being targeted, it should also be noted that it is the primary responsibility of the same government to protect the lives and properties of the people.

“Now that Niger Delta Avengers have refused to toe the line of negotiation, the Federal Government is expected to without delay begin to match words with actions by calling all stakeholders and regional leaders in the region to a roundtable to dialogue on some pertinent issues as it affects the people of the Niger Delta region.

“In war situation, there is no victor, in the end, if we do not take the dialogue option, we will all be losers. The use of the tool of dialogue with all stakeholders and agitators by the past administration speaks volume for the peace that has existed in the region for the last 7 years.”