Regional Leaders To Blame For Rising Insecurity In Nigeria – PANDEF

Niger Delta apex body, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has said regional leaders in the country are to blame for the rising insecurity in Nigeria.

PANDEF’s national publicity secretary, High Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini, disclosed this in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Port Harcourt at the weekend.

Ominimini accused regional leaders, especially in areas where there is rise insecurity, of failing to talk to their youths on the need for peace, pointing out that the development had led to the death of many people.

“Again, we are blaming regional leaders of different regions who have not been able to also help government in tackling this insecurity. At a time in Niger Delta, the late Chief Clark, our leader of blessed memory, called all the leaders together and we called our youths and we asked them to down tools. They accepted amnesty.

“When the federal government was not behaving well and Niger Delta Avengers came in again, Chief Clark had to invite us, the leaders of the region, and that was how we had PANDEF.

“So, the various regional organisations and leaders should call their people and tell them the advantages of having peace because majority of those that are being killed today are from within the areas where the insecurity is taking place. Crisis anywhere is crisis everywhere. This insecurity has spread across Nigeria,” he said.

The PANDEF spokesman expressed the hope that the establishment of state police would go a long way in tackling rising insecurity in the country.

Ominimini said: “The establishment of state police will help to stop this problem that is militating against Nigerians because of you have state police, no governor will allow insecurity to rear its ugly head in his own state.

“Today, you have the governors who are chief security officers and they won’t be able to control police, they won’t be able to control army.

“But, if you have state police that is well armed under the purview of the state government in collaboration with the local government, a state police that is occupied by Indigenes, the locals in that area, insecurity cannot come up.

“But, when you have only the federal police, you have only the army that is controlled at the centre and they are not present at every time in anywhere, insecurity will rear its ugly head.”