Lopsided appointment of chief security officers has been identified as the reason for lingering conflicts and attacks in Nigeria.

A lecturer in the Department of Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos, Samuel Obadiah, canvassed the argument at a workshop.

According to him, such warped appointments, which are skewed in favour of a particular ethnic nationality and interests, are working against peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

Obadiah spoke on the theme: “Early warning and early response on conflict for Plateau Central Senatorial District for Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR) Youth Peace Ambassadors from Pankshin, Mangu and Bokkos local council areas of Plateau State.”

In the event held at the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT)’s Hall in Mangu, about 210 selected restive youths were trained from various wards.

He urged neutral security personnel to be deployed through helicopter to all crises-prone areas to neutralise conflict entrepreneurs, while ensuring that the officers are also well motivated.

He said: “Security operatives in the theatre of war should be neutral as being biased could be dangerous. They should be armed with night vision equipment to be able to detect early signs and warnings to nip them in the bud.”

President of IGSR, Prof. Isawa Jonah Elaigwu, who was represented by the programme coordinator of the Institute, Dr. Waheed Adedeji, commended the participants for their punctuality.

He said the workshop was basically to train them on how to develop skills in identification of early warning signs and responses, before the conflicts blow out of proportion.

Elaigwu disclosed that “these 210 people we are training today have passed through the camp at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Institute (CLTI) School at Shere Hills in Jos North, where they underwent practical training among which was obstacle crossing. After the camp, some of the trainees were also fortunate to have gone through skill acquisition.

Meanwhile, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has announced the killing of scores of Boko Haram terrorists and destruction of 13 gun trucks, in Gashigar, Borno State.

The Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said this in a statement yesterday in Maiduguri.

He said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) platform supported the ground troops to carry out the operation.

The statement added that a pair of Mi-35 helicopter gunships, which was joined by anther from the NAF, identified the location of the terrorists, to repel the attacks as they advanced the army base from two directions.
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