We Will Use Force If Dialogue Fails -Army Chief

                                  

The Nigerian army would not hesitate to use force if the dialogue between the Federal Government and militants fails, according to Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, who also appealed to the Niger Delta militants to embrace democratic means in their demands and desist from engaging in violence.

The army chief, who made this remark in Port Harcourt on Monday at the commissioning of a modern 2 Brigade Headquarters Complex with an Olympic size swimming pool, explained that, though, the Federal Government was committed to the negotiation, the use of force had always been the first action before dialogue.
Buratai said that it was necessary for the militant groups in the region to take advantage of the government’s gesture to engage them in a dialogue.

“Government is still committed to dialogue and whereby this cannot go on then there could be resort to other means. The non-kinetic (force) means has always been the first source before government can recourse to the kinetic means.

“So, there is need for the Niger Delta Avengers to see reason and dialogue with government,” the Chief of Army Staff stated.