The Chief of Army
Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said the Nigerian Army will not hesitate to
use force should the dialogue between the Federal Government and militants
fails.
Buratai also appealed
to Niger Delta militants to embrace democratic means in their demands and
desist from engaging in violence.
The Army chief made
this remark in Port Harcourt on Monday at the inauguration of the 2 Brigade
Headquarters complex with an Olympic-size swimming pool.
He explained that
though the Federal Government was committed to negotiation, the use of force
had always been the first action before dialogue.
Buratai added that it
was necessary for the militant groups in the oil-rich region to take advantage
of government’s readiness to engage them in talks.
“Government is still
committed to dialogue and whereby this cannot go on, then, there could be
resort to other means. The non-kinetic (force) means has always been the source
first before government can make recourse to the kinetic means.
“So, there is need for
the Niger Delta Avengers to see reason and engage in dialogue with government,”
the COAS said.
-Punch
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