Nigeria insecurity: Mulade expresses worry over clashes between Police, Shi’ites
Worried about the rising tension between security operatives and the Shi’ites Islamic Movement, a Niger Delta born human and environmental rights activist, Comrade Sheriff Mulade has appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari to adopt a dialogue process and pragmatic nonviolence approach to get out of the woods.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Comrade Mulade, who is also the National Coordinator of the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, expressed concern over the tension caused by the recent clashes between the Shi’ites Islamic Movement and the Nigeria Police Force during the invasion of the National Assembly and recent deaths recorded by the former.
According to him, the increasing tension in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, has become worrisome, stressing that it has sent a wrong signal of insecurity about Nigeria to the international community.
He said if the issues between the Islamic Movement and the Police are not urgently resolved, they might possibly escalate beyond Abuja and further compound the fragile peace situation in the country.
The activist therefore, strongly appealed to the President to rise up to the occasion by adopting dialogue, a pragmatic nonviolence approach, which he described as the best option to avert further confrontation that might escalate the crisis. He then urged President Buhari to do everything humanly possible to engage the Islamic Movement in a dialogue, before things get out hand.
He charged the President to put an engagement process in place to end insecurity in the country, saying that, as patriotic Nigerians, we cannot watch the country degenerate into another crisis. He noted that the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ was ready to offer expert services on conflict prevention, management and reconciliation through partnership with the Federal Government towards resolving the menace of insecurity. He said this could be achieved by facilitating a dialogue between the agitating group, security forces and the Federal Government.
His emphasized that the security of the entire Nation cannot be left in the hands of governermt and security agents alone, and urge patriotic Nigerians, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political affiliation,let give maximum support to President Buhari, security agents and government at all levels, towards ending the spate of insecurity in the country.
He said we cannot pretend to be secure and safe under the prevailing circumstances, therefore, we should commence a constructive dialogue process aimed at finding lasting solutions to the insecurity challenges posed by the Islamic Movement, Niger Delta agitation, IPOB, Oduduwa People’s Congress, OPC, amongst others. He warned that failure to end insecurity now might be very dangerous and counter productive for Nigeria.
