THISDAY

Killings: Be Prepared for Food Shortage, Poverty, PFN Warns

- Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Pentecosta­l Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has warned that there will be serious food shortage and poverty if the spate of killings continue in the country.

National Vice Chairman of PFN, South-South Chapter and Bishop of Flock of Christ Mission, Rev. Dr Simeon Okah gave the warning yesterday, noting that if nothing “is done to stop the killings against farmers, Nigeria will be faced with serious food shortages and poverty.”

Okah recalled that recent reports by the United Nations and Amnesty Internatio­nal had justified his earlier stand that the Federal Government “is encouragin­g Fulani herdsmen by its lukewarm attitude to security in the affected areas as well as unwillingn­ess to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrato­rs.”

He therefore called on Nigerians “to take political actions by mobilising to remove any administra­tion that is insensitiv­e to the security of lives and property of Nigerians.”

Okah lamented that in spite of obvious failures of the security agencies,

President Muhammadu Buhari “has continued to retain the security chiefs. It is sad that in spite of public outcry over the killings in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and Nasarawa states, this recent killings took place again in Plateau state.

“There is no meaningful attempt to stop the killings which went on for seven hours as reported. None of the attackers were apprehende­d while the operation was on,” he said.

Okah said the attitude of the president “suggests that the deployment of security agencies after the attacks is more to protect the perpetrato­rs and their tribesmen than the victims of the attacks.”

He lamented that many of those arrested by the security agencies were those protesting the attacks or those mobilising to defend themselves.

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