Gyang Bere, Jos

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 across the country.

Rev. Kaigama said this, on Thursday, while declaring open 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.

According to him, “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 I siders 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 fuelling the crisis.

“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.”

Rev. Kaigama lamented that despite effort to halt the killings, isolated attacks and killings of farmers still persist in many rural communities in the country.

He continued, “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.

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“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.

Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), northern states,  Rev. Yakubu Pam, also called on the Federal Government to put more efforts at arresting the circle of violence and destruction of properties in the country.

He called for forgiveness among the warring groups in Plateau State and embrace each other because women, children and the old have been wounded and rendered homeless.

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Secretary General of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria ( MACBAN), Plateau State, Abdullahi Ardo, described killings in the country as an ‘act of criminality’.

Ardo, however, urged religious and community leaders in the country to be sincere in tackling the issues and urged the security agencies to act fast and stop the continues killings of human lives in rural communities.