…as military declares 8 wanted over murder of soldiers in Delta
As government makes progress towards fishing out and bringing to book murderers of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army on a peace mission to a remote community in Delta State a fortnight ago, a report compiled for the World Bank suggests solutions to the seemingly intractable security challenges in the Niger Delta region.
The remains of the deceased military personnel who were murdered on March 14, 2024 while on a peace mission to warring Okuama and Okoloba communities in Delta State were laid to rest at the Nigerian Armed Forces Cemetery, Abuja, on Wednesday, with posthumous national honours and a commitment from the Federal Government to provide houses for their families and scholarships up to university level for their children.
On Thursday, at a briefing in Abuja, the Defence Headquarters declared eight persons wanted over their roles in the killing.
Those declared wanted are Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri, Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (Aka Amagben), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukeywe, Reuben Baru, and Igoli Ebi.
During the briefing, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, called on Nigerians especially residents of Delta and adjoining states to assist the military with credible information that would lead to the arrest of the eight persons allegedly responsible for the killing of 17 soldiers.
General Buba said the military remained determined to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous act, reaffirming its commitment to rescuing all kidnapped and abducted victims in Nigeria.
While the unfortunate episode draws attention to decades-long intractable restiveness, militancy, environmental abuse and resource theft in the Niger Delta, the source of 90 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue generation, a report put together for the World Bank suggests means to a lasting solution.
The report, entitled ‘Securing Development and Peace in the Niger Delta: A Social and Conflict Analysis for Change’, was compiled by the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars.
The report suggests that a durable peace in the Niger Delta can be built on good governance and political participation, human security, wellbeing and development, protecting the environment, and securing livelihoods.
The report further attests that these solutions will require the involvement and participation of all of society, including government, civil society, local communities and their leaders, as well as oil companies and other corporates.
It then suggests 10 guides to conflict-sensitive development for the Niger Delta. These include being mindful of the region’s vulnerability to a long history of conflict, underdevelopment, political marginalisation, and environmental harm.
It also lists the need to focus on local priorities, accelerated development, safety from crime, political rights, environmental protection, and opportunities for employment.
The report further states that maintaining dialogue with all types of local groups and listening to their separate expectations, opinions and concerns will come in handy.
Other solutions, the report says, include necessarily putting people in charge of their own futures through initiatives that are locally driven, managed, and monitored.
Every future intervention should be based on an assessment of the potential to exacerbate or mitigate local conflict dynamics, while care should be taken to avoid creating “winners” and “losers.”
Conflict mitigation should further be linked to development strategies and aim to make peace a development outcome rather than a pre-condition for engagement or assistance.
A pooling of the risks of development investment should be undertaken by seeking reliable and committed partners in government, civil society, communities and the private sector.
There should further be encouragement of responsible corporate practices toward people and the environment in line with international performance standards.
The importance of promoting security and peace by upgrading the public relations skills of local police and armed service personnel and linking them to community peace building institutions is also highlighted.
Government and other stakeholders are then advised to strive to be flexible, but remain focused and persistent.
By supporting and applying these methods of conflict-sensitive planning, all friends of the Niger Delta can contribute to a durable peace that becomes an outcome of collective efforts for regional development and their crowning achievement, the report states.
