Insecurity: Enough Is Enough You Bandits! Bakut Calls For Dialogue

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The Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Bakut Bakut, has urged bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in Nigeria to lay their weapons and embrace peace and dialogue.

Bakut, who made the call on Sunday in Abuja in a statement issued by IPCR’s spokesperson, Esther Ndukwe, said this was necessary to stem the tide of insecurity all over the country.

He noted that Nigeria was on edge owing to violent conflicts of various sorts that were being perpetrated by criminals, which has become a thing of concern to all well-meaning Nigerians.

In his words, he said, that the criminal elements should sheath their swords and seek dialogue and peace, where their grievances would be heard, highlighting that no conflict is settled outside the dialogue table, and violence in any form is negative and injurious to sustainable development.

In his statement, he maintained that the Institute frowns at, and condemns in the strongest terms, the prevailing dastardly acts of criminals, bandits and terrorists against Nigerian men and women.

The statement read that the institute had painstakingly monitored and tracked resource based-conflicts, which includes the ‘farmers-herders’ conflict that has “assumed a gargantuan height and is almost snowballing into an ethnic dimension”.

It further noted that the ‘farmers-herders’ conflict had, alongside kidnapping, banditry and communal clashes, constituted a horrific security challenge and unimaginable hardship on the Nigerian populace.

The heightened situation, it also noted, had created mutual suspicion among Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups that prior to now co-existed peacefully and tolerated one another.

Worse still, these conflicts have led to the loss of numerous lives and properties worth billions of Naira, as well as huge financial implications in the name of ransom, and untold psychological pains and trauma on innocent citizens. AFP report.

While urging the media to be conflict-sensitive in their reportage so as to entrench peace, love, unity and tolerance, Bakut also sued for tolerance, peace and tranquility amongst the diverse ethno-cultural groups in the country.

“Nigeria is a great and beautiful country and the only country we can call our own, therefore, let us all coalesce our diversities to constructive channels of development for the good of all Nigerians,” the statement added.

He stressed that IPCR would remain focused in deploying its capacity to facilitate dialogues, mediations and reconciliation in order to sustain bridges of peace and harmony in Nigeria.

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