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*** calls for aggressive youths’ re-orientation to stem insecurity in S/East
The pioneer Military Administrator of Delta, Air Commodore Luke Ochulor (rtd), has called for an aggressive youths’ re-orientation to stem the tide of sudden wave of insecurity in South-East.
Ochulor made the call on Sunday while speaking to newsmen in Enugu on solution to growing insecurity and attack on security and other Federal Government facilities in the zone.
According to him, there is a need for aggressive re-orientation programmes to positively change the mindset of the young men in the zone.
He said: “They (youths) cannot solve their problems by shooting into the air and attacking the security formations and operatives.
“Military operation does not solve the problem also. This type of operation requires a subtle mind and orientation change approach and thorough investigation’’.
The former military administrator agreed that the zone was previously adjudged the “safe and peaceful’’, but expressed concern that the recent events in the zone had portrayed it in bad light.
He said that he had expected the governors in the zone to have organised the security of their states so that residents would have full confidence in the government.
Ochulor, however, cautioned against full-blown military operations in the zone as most innocent residents who knew nothing about the issue at stake may be exposed to dangers or even get killed.
He noted that while he pitied the innocent youths in the affected areas, adding “I have no pity for those that are attacking security formations and razing INEC offices in the South-East.”
“Security operatives should devise a means of tracking the criminals and arresting them rather than shooting-on-sight any young man because there is no way every young Igbo man can be classified as a criminal.
“Actually, the criminals among them are on drugs. They do not have parental attachment.
“They should know that their toeing a war path would never solve their problems. But they don’t understand,’’ he said.
On a proposed bill by the National Assembly specifying 15-year jail term for somebody who pays ransom to kidnappers, Ochulor said: “Before a government promulgates a law, it must first of all think of its implementation’’.
He called on the National Assembly to promulgate a law that makes it mandatory that if somebody is found guilty of kidnapping, such a person should either face life jail or death penalty.
“They should first make a law to deter the law breaker or potential kidnapper from the act. They should focus more on preventive measures,’’ the former military administrator said.
On the ban on open grazing in Southern Nigeria, Ochulor said that the southern governors’ pronouncement would just end up as mere verbal pronouncement without implementable and effective laws across their states.
“The implication is that the people may see them as jokers and nobody would take them seriously any longer,’’ he added.
