‘Military action not the best solution,’ Dickson says

Dickson made the comment after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

“I have said that on the issues in the Niger Delta, the terrain, the historic nature of the issues and challenges are such that military solution may not be the way forward,” the governor said according to Leadership.

“For us who are products of political system and who are at this level, we have a duty to mobilise communal and local leadership. We also have a duty to support the work the intelligence and security agencies are doing and we have a duty to ensure that issues are better appreciated and we fill the communication gap. And where there are issues those issues need be addressed.

“It is also our duty to network like I’m doing to ensure that problems that are identified as the main cause of some of these challenges are looked into. The military solutions as I have always maintained is not the right option. We are hopeful that the ongoing discussions will yield the desired result.

“I have always been in support of negotiations and dialogue as the sustainable way forward. Dialogue will bring out the issues and then we will all unite around these common issues to move our country forward,” he added.

ALSO READ: Niger Delta Avengers vow to ground Nigeria's economy

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has said that it will not hesitate to use force in the Niger Delta if the militants refuse to accept peace.