Gyang Bere, Jos
Chairman, Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Yakubu Pam, has said that urgent steps should be taken by the Federal Government to curtail killings of people by suspected herdsmen before villages are wiped out in the North.
Rev. Pam, in a press statement issued, in Jos, condemned the re-emergence of insecurity in Plateau state after two and half years labour of Governor Simon Lalong in restoring peace in trouble spots.
He commended the proactive measures taken by Governor Lalong in imposing curfew on the trouble areas to avert destruction of lives and properties in the entire state.
“I condemn the wanton destruction of lives and properties of the rural people of Plateau state in Irigwe chiefdom of Bassa and Daffo district of Bokkos local government councils of Plateau state where dozen of persons were killed by the enemies of the state.
“The ugly development in Plateau in the last one week is unacceptable and should be condemned by all those who love and cherish peace on the Plateau. We have had a similar episodes in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara an other communities in the north, something urged should be done before they people are wipe out.”
He said government and security agencies should ensure that all those who are behind the current attacks and killings of innocent people in rural communities of Plateau state should be arrest and prosecuted.
Similarly, Chairperson of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) Northern sates Hon. Leah O. Solomon, has called on Muslim mothers across the country to come together in unity and cooperate with the wing in order to launch an expanded campaign against the abduction of school girls by insurgents.
She spoke during a protest march at the 2nd 19 Northern States and FCT annual conference of WOWICAN, in ECWA, Jos DCC women fellowship conference camp, Jos East of Plateau State.
The Chairperson said they would no longer fold their hands or keep mute over the uncanny action of insurgents going to female secondary schools in order to abduct hundreds of girls (whether Christians or Muslims) and convert them to sex slaves or use them for any kind of gain.
“These abductions are gradually becoming a trend in this country and it need to stop. First it was hundreds of Chibok school girls in Borno State in 2014, and now it is over a hundred Dapchi school girls in Yobe State.
” It doesn’t matter if the girls are either Christians or Muslims, what is paramount is that the action of these insurgents going to schools to abduct girls in order to spite the government or advance their course, or for whatever reason, must be halted forthwith. And we demand the unconditional release of all the girls already abducted.
“As mothers, it is agonising to know that your daughter which you sent to school is abducted by one terrorist and taking to an unknown destination, and then forcefully used as sex slave or for any other purpose.
“This is what no mother would want to imagine, talk more of experience. That is why WOWICAN in the19 Northern States and FCT has decided to launch a robust campaign against such action, beginning from this conference. And we call on all mothers in the country to join hands with us on this. We equally call on Muslim mothers to collaborate with us in order to give our campain a boost because this is beyond religion. Besides, no religion condones the action of these terrorists and no religion is also speared of their attacks/actions,” she said.
She also called on the federal government to do all it can to halt the killings in the country in the name of farmers-herdsmen clash, saying that no amount of achievement by the Buhari administration can be meaningful amid killings of innocent people daily, especially in the Northern part of the country.
Mrs. Solomon said some criminal elements have taken the advantage of the farmers-herdsmen clash to perpetuate an evil agenda on many communities in the Northern part of the country, while the government and security agents appeared helpless on how to tackle the ugly situation and properly nip it in the bud.