COAS: Army Seeking Other Ways To Resolve Conflicts In Nigeria

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru,
has said the force under his watch is already employing
several conflict management techniques, including mediation
and town hall meetings amongst aggrieved parties, to
resolve disputes and conflicts.
General Attahiru said these initiatives have assisted in de-
escalating conflicts and prevented reprisal attacks, while also
facilitating the return of some internally displaced persons to
their communities.
The Chief of Army Staff spoke at the opening ceremony of
the twenty first conflict management seminar of the Nigerian
Army College of Logistics (NACOL), lamenting that Nigeria is
confronted with several security challenges such as the Boko
Haram insurgency in the North East, militancy in the Niger
Delta, kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, and armed
robbery in the North West.
He said that the herdsmen and farmers crisis mostly in the
North Central has led to several killings and destruction of
livelihood and created many internally displaced persons,
adding that the seminar will evolve modalities for synergy
between the military and other security agencies that will
facilitate prompt intelligence sharing and joint operations
towards success in military operations.
General Attahiru, who was represented at the ceremony by
the Commander Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps Major
General MA Daudu, said that the constant drafting of the
military in conflicts or crisis situations demands elaborate
actions to bequeath the personnel with the rudiments of
conflict management.
‘The Nigerian Army will continue to employ suitable measures
to foster cooperation between the NA and other security
agencies in order to improve the Nigerian Army’s quest to
ensure peaceful co-existence of Nigerian citizens,’ he said.
‘The positive disposition of the populace towards the military
must be sustained through the Nigerian Army remaining
neutral, apolitical, professional, and observing the tenets of
human rights as well as rule of law in all her actions. It is
pertinent to note that the NA must sustain capacity building
through local and overseas training.’
He said that the theme of the seminar (“Enhancing Synergy
between civil and security Agencies for Effective Conflict
Management in Nigeria”) is appropriate in the prevailing
security circumstances and aligns with the efforts to improve
cooperation between the NA and other security agencies.
General Attahiru said a good understanding of the remote
and immediate causes of the various conflicts in the country
as well as their impacts on the society are precursors to
resolving such conflicts and preventing future
reoccurrences.
He said that the force will continue to play its role in ensuring
a safe and secure environment for the safe return of
displaced persons to their homes in troubled areas, assuring
Nigerians that the army would continue to uphold the tenets
of democracy, comply with rules of engagement and code of
conduct during any military operation.
Earlier, the Commandant of the NACOL, Major General
Martins Enendu, said this year’s theme could not have been
more apt, looking at the challenges of civil military
cooperation in the current operating environment which he
described as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
General Enendu said the seminar seeks to address sensitive
issues related to conflict management and resolution in the
country as well as identify ways to contributing to the body of
knowledge related to conflict management in the country.