I’m distressed, depressed by killings — Buhari

Pr e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he is distressed and depressed by the “atrocious ethnoreligious killings” in the country, even as he appealed to Nigerians to learn to live together in peace and harmony.

Receiving leaders of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) at the State House, led by Rev Dr Dachollom Datiri, he urged religious, community and traditional leaders to do more in promoting peaceful co-existence among Nigerians at different walks of life.

‘‘As an organised institution (COCIN), I have no reason to doubt your report on the atrocities being committed in your communities including the killing of Idris Alkali, a retired Major-General, the dumping of his car into a pond and the body of the deceased thrown into a disused well.

‘‘The communities (in Plateau) have lived long enough to know that there is nothing they can do without each other than to live together in harmony.

‘‘As leaders, we must persuade the upcoming generation, using every channel particularly the educational institutions, to live together with our neighbours,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

President Buhari, who used the occasion to underscore the roles religious leaders play in engendering peace, lauded the exemplary role of the Imam in Plateau State who risked his life to save hundreds of Christian families fleeing attacks, in June.

President Buhari assured the Christian delegation that he will continue to exert pressure on the Nigeria Police Force to do the needful in protecting lives and property.

In his remarks, Datiri, while condemning the recent killing of an Army General in the state, chronicled recent attacks against Christian communities in Plateau and neighbouring states, resulting in the displacement of thousands of persons.

He appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the safe return and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their communities, in addition to the rebuilding of places of worship destroyed in the unfortunate incidents.

The COCIN president also called on the Federal Government to take adequate measures in ensuring the release of Leah Sharibu and other abductees of Boko Haram terrorists.