Abuja – The President of the South-South Chiefs and Council of Elders (SSCE), Dr Abdulwahab Udosen, has urged the Federal Government to withdraw troops from the Niger Delta region. Udosen made the call in an interview on Friday in Abuja.
He said that the federal government should not adopt forceful measures against the Niger Delta militants in a bid to quell the violent attacks on oil and gas installations in the area. However, Udosen said that the South-South region was not a war zone, noting that the people also love peace but that the situation in the area led to some challenges that warranted the soldiers.
He said the presence of the soldiers was no longer needed as the elders were talking with the youths to maintain peace and drop their arms. “We the traditional rulers in the Niger Delta are talking to our children to be calm, and embrace dialogue and peace. “We don’t want violence; you people should drop arms and let’s maintain peace.
“We have told President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw soldiers from the South-South because the region is not a place of war. “If you want dialogue, withdraw soldiers and we the kings and chiefs will talk to our children. They are our youths, they will obey us,” he said. The president of SSEC appealed to the youths not to take arms against their states nor break pipelines because by so doing they were destroying their own property and environment.
He assured them of Buhari’s support, adding that “the president will listen to your plea, he is supportive,” he said. Udosen said that the South-South region was not a war zone and the people also loved peace but the situation in the area led to some challenges that warranted the soldiers.
He, however, urged the federal government to involve Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the dialogue process for lasting solutions. The president attributed the problem of the region to the past leaders and governors of Niger Delta for not making proper use of their security votes in bringing development to the region
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