Political Violence :Former SSS Director Cautions Rivers Youth By Olufemi Ogunkilede The former Director of the State Security Service (SSS), Chief Albert K. Horsfall has cautioned the youth in Rivers State against being used by politicians to destabilize their communities during the forth-coming general elections. Horsfall made the warning at a peace and security conference organized by his foundation and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Chapter, that rather than taking guns from politicians to kill their people, the youth should ask for education and jobs from politicians. He warned that Rivers State must never be allowed to descend to the pre-2007 period when anarchy was let loose in the state. Horsfall, who attributed some of the crisis in the state to the refusal of people to tell the truth, said the time has come for Rivers people to stand up to challenge those who threaten the peace and stability of the state, stressing that having suffered so much in the past, the state deserves peace and tranquillity.. Horsfall said that the conference was necessitated by the need to avoid a breakdown of law and order during the forth-coming elections. Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Ambassador Chukwudi D. Orike described the conference as timely in view of the present volatile nature of the state and the country. While attributing the causes of violence to bad governance, injustice and inequality, he lamented the criminalization of politics, and stated that the lost glory of Rivers State as a peaceful state can be restored, if deliberate efforts are made to restore peace. According to him, this can be achieved, if volunteers from the 23 local government areas work together with the A.K Horsfall Foundation to expel the forces of evil. Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, Mr Opaka Dokubo said that the conference has provided the platform for stakeholders to talk on the peace and security of the state. Dokubo also commended the A.K Horsfall Foundation for the support, noting that for a long time, journalists across the state have been yearning for support to advance the cause of peace in the state. The auspicious conference which was aimed at engendering peaceful atmosphere in the state, especially as political activities hot up ahead of 2015 general elections and also reaching consensus on how best to ensure a crisis-free Rivers state before, during and after the general elections, had the participants that graced the occasion at the conference include students’ union leaders, religious and political leaders, women and youth groups, professional associations, security agencies, administrators, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), amongst others.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 13:33:48 +0000
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