TheCable

Gani Adams, leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), says the use of force in the Niger Delta  region  can not stop attacks on oil assets.

In an interview with PUNCH, Adams advised the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate with militants based on restructuring.

He said but for the fact that the Niger Delta is endowed with oil, Buhari would not have cared about the activities of the militants.

“The government should negotiate with them on the basis of restructuring. You cannot use force to solve the problem,” he said.

“Assuming the Niger Delta Avengers were not from the area that controls the main source of our income, the president would not have cared. I’m very sure of that. In as much as he can pay salaries, he will not care about what is happening in that region.

“How many people will President Muhammadu Buhari fight? There are a lot of groups agitating in the Niger Delta and in the north-east, and Boko Haram is still there.”

According to him, to reduce agitation for secession, the president should abide by the rule of law

Speaking on the recent militant attacks in Lagos and Ogun states, Adams said the OPC held a meeting with the Ijaws who denied any involvement in the attacks.

“I was not in the country but our publicity secretary was there and the feedback we got is that a communiqué was issued to condemn the attacks, “he added.

“I heard that the Ijaw leaders at the meeting denied that the assailants were of Ijaw descent.”