From Abubakar Yakubu, Abuja
An ex-militants’ negotiator, Onengiya Erekosima, has promised a workable proposal that can reduce insecurity in Nigeria to 70 percent within one month.
Erekosima called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant him audience so that he can show him the plan.
Erekosima, who stated this during the 15th anniversary celebration of the Foundation for Peace and Non- Violence in Nigeria, in Abuja, at the weekend, said he used the non-violence approach model to broker peace during the militancy crises in the Niger Delta.
According to him, when Asari Dokubo was arrested by the police, he persuaded him to disarm his militant members as well as tell them to surrender their arms to the Federal Government. He said he took Asari’s wife to meet Tinubu, who gave her accommodation when he was Lagos State governor.
The ex-militants’ negotiator also disclosed that his model also brokered peace between the federal government and Ateke Tom with other militant warlords in the Niger Delta.
Erekosima, who is also the foundation’s president, disclosed that the first step to end insecurity will be for the Federal Government to grant acceptance to bandits and other groups causing problem in the country, while the public will show them total forgiveness.
He stressed that after the acceptance, the federal government should call for the return of fire arms and ammunitions in replacement for jobs, adding that people who return arms can be recruited into the police, civil defence forces or other security agencies as informants.
The foundation’s president lamented that he has written severally to President Tinubu on ‘how to reduce insecurity in Nigeria’ but hasn’t received any response from the Presidential Villa.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of awards by the foundation to over 20 persons, including the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.