Ethnic Coalition for Peace, a Non-Governmental Organisation, says troops of the armed forces have shown courage and determination to wipe out those threatening the peace of Nigeria.
The coalition said this is a statement by its Convener, Mr Isiaka Gani and Co-conveners, Obi Okoro and Abdullahi Mustafa on Thursday in Abuja to commemorate the 2022 International Day of Peace.
The coalition described the ongoing military operations in various parts of the country as courageous, saying the efforts would ultimately lead to the restoration of peace in the country.
According to the statement, peace is a necessity for socio-economic development and the news coming out from the North-East is commendable.
The coalition noted that the military had been reinvigorated to sustain ongoing operations, and advised criminals, terrorists and bandits to lay down their arms and embrace peace.
“The 2022 International Day of Peace should be an opportunity for deep retrospect on the advantages of having peace in a country. No country can make progress where there is crisis.
“We urge criminals, terrorists and bandits to lay down arms in the interest of the country. We cannot continue to spend scarce resources to prosecute an unreasonable war.
“We celebrate troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for keeping the momentum and the positive results seen in the various theatres of operations.
“As the 2023 General Election approaches, we urge Nigerians to seek every avenue for peace to reign, to enable peaceful conduct of the polls,” the coalition said. (NAN)