From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Bishop of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Rt Revd Timothy Yahaya has expressed the fear that unless God intervenes, the fight to end banditry and kidnapping by security operatives may remain elusive.
Fielding questions from newsmen following his Easter message to Nigerians, Bishop Yahaya said his fear is based on the fact those fighting the war against insecurity are demoralized with obsolete weapons and lack of you.
He also added that there are betrayals within security forces, causing leakage of information that had led to ambush of security personnel by bandits on many occasions.
He charged government to arrest and publish names of alleged sponsors of banditry, kidnapping and insurgency.
The Clergyman, however, said that with God all things are possible, making reference to the Bible story where God rolled the stone away from the tomb of Jesus, and, “I can tell you that the God that rolled away the stone, the same God will roll away stone of insecurity in Nigeria”.
Bishop Yahaya further explained, “If you look at the weapon they are using today they are obsolete, we see on social media that people are demoralized , those fighting this war are demoralized , how can people on the theatre of war or in the front of a battle not be motivated , let government look at the betrayals within the security forces , you arranged that you’re going to do a thing before you know it they are ambushed , who gave the information that led to the ambush, the government keep saying we will publish the names of the people behind insecurity , you don’t need to be telling us you will publish the names, we don’t want that announcement, we want to know the people , it is very sad to say if government know the people who are the sponsors of insecurity and have not arrested them , they are failing in their responsibility , I call on government not only to name the people but also to arrest the people.
“My Easter message is borne out of the story of who will roll the stone. Some three women in the early hours of Easter were going to the tomb of Jesus. And the greatest difficult they had; was what became like rocket science for them is who will roll the stone so that they could have access to the body of Christ. But, alas, before they arrived, the stone has been rolled away. The stone was their challenge at that time.
“My Easter message therefore is that the God that rolled away the stone is the same God that will roll away stone in Nigeria today. I want us to trust God, believe God, with God all things are possible. Some people are beginning to lose heart and thinking that nothing good will happen in Nigeria again. I can tell you that the God that rolled away the stone, the same God will roll away stone of insecurity in Nigeria.
“Same God can roll away the stone of unemployment in Nigeria, God can roll away stone of lack of good health system in Nigeria, God can roll away stone of bad educational system, God can roll away stone of infrastructural decays, God can roll away stone of fuel price crisis. I want to tell Nigerians that if we trust and believe in God, all the problems confronting this country will be rolled away. The Coronavirus pandemic can be rolled away if we believe and trust God. Our hope should be in God because He can never fail us”.
On whether it is right to negotiate with bandits or not, the Bishop said, “Why taking to criminality, it is against the law to take to criminality. Again, as people, putting all options on the table, whichever one that will bring lasting solution to our problems may suffice.
“The truth is that people who are traveling and you have never met them from Adam, you kidnapped them, what did they do to you. You go to People’s houses, burgled them and kidnap their loved ones, what did they do to you. If your problem is with the system, you are not sitting with the system, but you are sitting with ignorant and defenceless Nigerians.
“I find it very difficult to give a clear straight away answer as to the negotiation. If you need anything in Nigeria today, there are legal ways to address your grievances. If today I need something and I take arms, another person needs something he take arms, for how long can we continue in this barbaric and uncivilized ways of doing things. We want peace and we pray that God should give us peace in our country”.