Gyang Bere, Jos
The Catholic Archbishop of Jos and former President of Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged Federal Government to fish out foreigners and local collaborators involved in the killings of villagers in the country.
The religious leader disclosed this yesterday during a meeting of Ethnic, Religious and Community Leaders on the recent attacks in some parts of Plateau State, held at the Dialogue Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre, Jos.
“If foreign invaders, as alleged are the cause of our insecurity, the our security agents on whom trillions of naira are spent should smoke them and their local collaborators.
And if the hand work of heartless insiders or politicians without conscience, allowing it to go on would imply that our security apparatus is so feeble and incapacitated that it cannot identify or tackle those fueling the crisis.
READ ALSO FG commissions N263m erosion control projects in Karishi, Abaji
“There is no denial that internal and external forces have infiltrated our communities to cause damage to lives and property, and something must be done to put a stop to their nefarious activities.”
Kaigama lamented that despite efforts to halt the killings, isolated attacks and killings of farmers is still on the increase in rural communities.
“I understand that, even now, isolated attacks and killings still sadly go on. It is estimated that about 40, 000 people have abandoned their homes and fled from their farms or legitimate business’s, and are now living in hastily constructed camps.
“Both farmers and herders live in morbid fear of one another. Many also believe that the crisis is no longer about herders and farmers alone, but is being perpetrated by armed bandits or local and foreign invaders with the ambition for territorial control or domination.”
He called on religious and community leaders to eschew bitterness and pray to God to replace the evil in the hearts of the perpetrators with good for their hearts of stone to be change to hearts of flesh.