By Julius Oweh
The recent bombing of crude oil and gas pipelines in some communities in
Warri South West local council of Delta State has once again raised the ugly spectre
of militancy and the threat it poses to the economy. Coming at time when the
price of crude oil is nose-diving and the resultant dwindling revenue, those
responsible for the pipeline bombings are the very enemies of the nation.
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| (pix: Vanguard) |
No matter the degree of grievances and given the
generous amnesty programme of the federal government, these criminals must be
sanctioned according to the relevant laws of the nation. And this was the theme
worked on by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina while appealing to the
community leaders to tell the government the whereabouts of such people and
that it was no use shielding them.
This is how Adesina couched his appeal: "Ijaw
communities need not fear. What they can rather do is to hand over culprits
hiding in their midst to the authorities. If they have identified those who
blew up pipelines, and who are taking refuge in their communities, as good
citizens, they should hand them over to the law enforcement agents." This is
the civilized and best approach to the matter and it subtracts very much from
patriotism for some people using jaundiced reasons to justify the blowing up of
the pipelines, the economic lifeline of the nation.
