The Government of Cross River is to negotiate with militants, cultists, armed robbers, kidnappers and other criminals with a view to making them surrender arms in exchange of viable means of livelihood.
The Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade disclosed this at the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and light weapon’s formal launch of the ECOWAS–EU Small Arms Project and Community Engagement in the State, held in Calabar.
Governor Ayade, represented by his Deputy, Professor Ivara Esu maintained that the committee was to negotiate with groups of militants, cultists, armed robbers, kidnappers, individuals and communities with an offer an alternative means of livelihood.
He called on militants and holders of Small Arms in the State to voluntarily surrender them as Government was poised to offer them a viable alternative means of livelihood.
Ayade appealed to the youths not to subject themselves from a life in the creeks that had no value but sufferings and fear, enjoining traditional rulers and sponsors “to refrain from instigating communal crisis resulting to loss of lives, as killing one another will brings about generational evil curses.”
He admonished the people of the State to embrace the peace that the State was noted for and the opportunity provided for the formal launching of the ECOWAS-European Union Small Arms disarmament project in the State.
The Chairman, Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapon (PRESCOM), Ambassador Emmanuel Imohe explained that the formal launching of Small Arms and Community Engagement in the State was a milestone in the quest to partner the Coss River State Government to initiate and implement the disarmament project at the State level.
Ambassador Imohe stated that the ECOWAS-European Union Small Arms Project was an initiative of the ECOWAS commission seeking to encourage Civilian disarmament at community level and to provide an alternative livelihood as well as micro-project to individuals who voluntarily surrendered their arms under the initiative.
The Chairman disclosed that the proliferation of Small Arms was a global challenge accounting for over five hundred thousand deaths annually, translating to one life being lost every minute across the world.
In their remarks, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representatives, Mrs. Enobong Momah and Mr. Fred Ampia, respectively, said the effect of Small Arms proliferation in communities would lead to armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping and incessant killings.
They called on the people of the State to embrace peace and refrain from conflicts that will deter human development.
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