By Ayoola Amao, Gombe
The Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD,) Engineer Yunusa Ya’u has advised the Federal Government to prioritise other alternatives rather than military force in the ongoing war against the insurgents.
He admitted that the military, though has shaken the insurgents, it has not and may not totally eradicate the menace in the North East.
Fielding questions from newsmen in Gombe State during his presentation of the book titled: Community Perception of Dialogue and Reconciliation in Northern Nigeria: Boko Haram, Ya’u said all major achievements by the military were because of the internal wranglings within the insurgents not owing to military prowess.
According to Ya’u, the only way total eradication of insurgency could be is through sincere dialogue and thorough education of citizens in the troubled areas.
He said: “there’s significant improvement in the fight against insurgents, not a total defeat though but it has been discovered that it is as a result of internal fights among the criminals, not because of the military might. The military capitalised on that to score those notable goals.
“You can not eliminate them (insurgents), the best and surest way to end the menace is to tackle the basis for their agitation.
“This must include provisions of amenities and jobs that would discourage the angry and hungry youths from being recruited into the crime fold,” he urged.
He however blamed corruption in high places including the military and politicians who at the end are major beneficiaries of the crises that have thrown many our of their ancestral homes and rendered many widows and orphans.
