With the exception of maybe two situations:
1. Where the government knows it is pursuing an unjust course such as the case of Apartheid in South Africa
2. Where the government is facing imminent defeat or zero prospects of winning the war
Taking up arms against a constituted authority remains a serious crime and should be treated as such. Some people have made some comparison between the Niger Delta militants and current situations in the north west and north east. As grave as the injustice done to the oil-producing communities may have been, taking up arms at the time and to the extent they did was not the only option left for them to seek redress and remains a crime. We must not allow our sympathy for them to confuse our sense of law and order.
The handling of the Niger Delta militancy has created room for some insincere people to call for amnesty for even the deadliest of criminals. The Niger Delta militants were not criminals. They only employed illegal methods in fighting a just cause.
Negotiating with bandits or insurgents can never be a right move. Talking about amnesty, rehabilitation, etc for deadly criminals who freely chose to become criminals not only makes nonsense of the idea of jailing citizens who committed less serious crimes including stealing of tuber of yam, it makes future handling of similar crimes more problematic.
Nigeria has the wherewithal to deal with the security situation in the country right now and should go ahead and do so. Govt’s current behaviour emboldens the criminals, slows economic progress and constitutes disgrace for the country on the international scene
