Ex-militant leader, ‘General’ Preye Ekpebide, has identified job creation for the teaming Niger Delta youths as panacea to terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, pipeline vandalism and illegal oil refinery bedeviling the country.

He said that 90 percent of the youths involved in criminal activities, were idle hands.

The ex-militant boss, who fielded questions from journalists at Bomadi, Delta State, argued that the rise in crime wave in the Niger Delta and beyond was due to joblessness amongst youth.

Ekpebide charged the Federal and state governments, and entrepreneurs to create jobs, noting that the effects of crime, if not addressed holistically, could scare away foreign investors.

While commending President Goodluck Jonathan for continuing with the amnesty programme of his predecessor, he averred that skill acquisition for ex-warlords alone was not enough, but that provision of permanent job was necessary.