Church asks FG, security to end insecurity
THE Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has flayed the seeming failure of the Federal Government and the security agencies to protect Nigerians and their property against attacks.
Consequently, it asked the concerned parties to be alive to their responsibilities and end the killings and abductions in parts of the federation.
The church noted that ransom payment was further impoverishing the citizenry who go extra miles to raise cash to feed these unpatriotic citizens.
ECWA President, Dr. Jeremiah Gado, who spoke at the end of the ministry’s 65th General Meeting Church Council (GCC) in Jos, Plateau State, sought redress.
He said: “This is the responsibility of the Federal Government to citizens as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution. The government is further called upon to take responsibility of paying the ransom or reimburse families for ransom paid for the release of kidnapped vic- tims for failing to protect the citizens.
“The GCC is alarmed at recent happenings in Nigeria which give cause for grave concern and worry. The wave of political assassinations and killings for ritual purposes, frequent mass murders of harmless, innocent and defenceless citizens are instances. Very often, our children, the very symbols of life and vigour, are the victims and agents of this wastage of human life.
“In recognition of its divine mandate, the council reminds all of the sacredness and inviolability of human life, stating that no person, authority or institution has the right to terminate human life and urges everybody to respect the sanctity of human life and end the flow of innocent blood in the land. It advocates for a stronger collaboration between the government, security agencies and entire population for a more efficient protection of human lives and property.”
The cleric said that the council viewed with “seri- ous concern the unabated violence of herdsmen across the country, especially in the Middle Belt states of Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Niger, Kogi and others, including Kaduna, Adamawa, Enugu, Zamfara, and Delta as they continue to wantonly destroy lives, farms and property of innocent members of their host communities.
“ECWA therefore calls on the Federal Government to apprehend the perpetrators and cause them to face the full wrath of the law, and compensate the victims in the interest of justice. Failure to do the above will jeopardise the government’s efforts in boosting food production and guaranteeing security of Nigeria.
“The ECWA rejects the popular narrative that the violence being perpetrated by the nomads is an herdsmen-farmers clash but sees it rather as an expansionist mission meant to takeover people’s ancestral land. Else, how can one explain the attacks on several innocent non-farming communities by the herdsmen?”