The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Kaduna State chapter, has expressed concern over the increased mass killings and insecurity in the north.
The association particularly expressed great concern over the increased killings in Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Borno States, and indeed the country at large.
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the state CAN chairman in a statement issued on Monday and made available to one of the online news noted that in the last few weeks, hundreds of people have been killed by the Boko Haram bandits and bandits who are invading communities and unleashing mayhem on the people.
The statement lamented, “Our security agencies appear to be overwhelmed and lack new tactics to handle the situation. Both the states and federal governments seem to be shying away from the reality of the problem and appear to be living in self-denial while people are being massacred by criminals.
“People are now living in perpetual fear as they are not safe on the highways and even in their homes. Rural communities are being invaded by bandits and farmers cannot go to their farms for fear of being killed or being abducted for ransom by gunmen.
“For us as a religious body,” the association explained, “this country belongs to all Nigerians and our leaders must listen to the cries of Nigerians about the continuous declining security situation.”
The statement said the protection of lives and property of the citizenry is a constitutional responsibility of governments all over the world.
“Our government must, therefore, live up to this responsibility by tackling the present state of insecurity across the country,” the statement added.
The statement added, “There is need for our leaders to do an honest stock taken of the situation in our country. We need to check where we have gone wrong and what are those things we are doing that we need to do better.
“Many lives are being wasted almost on a daily basis by Boko Haram and bandit. People are being abducted and killed by kidnappers because they could not pay the huge ransom demanded by the hoodlums.
In Kaduna State, the security challenges in Chikun, Kajuru, Kauru, Zangon Kataf, Birnin Gwari have continued to be a serious source of worry.”
The statement observed that people are experiencing these challenges at the time of increase in hunger, economic hardship and fear of COVID-19, stressing that these pains are too much for the citizens to continue to bear.
CAN said that the leaders should be humble enough to admit that they have failed the people and seek for help from whoever and wherever it will come.
“It will be good for those in government to know that people are not buying the many propaganda circulating on some media platforms about the security challenges. How can you tell the person whose family members had been killed by bandits or terrorists that “you are on top of the situation”, yet the killings continues unabated!,” the statement advised.
CAN believes if government is truly on top of the situation, mindless killings and destructions should have stopped, stressing that it wonders how the government and security agencies always use this phrase without shame.
The association called on those twisting facts about the security situation in the country, particularly in the north to desist from that because they can never get true healing when they keep saying what is not true about Nigerians illness.
CAN then appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to act now and act sincerely to avert anything that would further plunge the country into more problems.
“We all love this country and have always prayed and worked to get the best. Let us not fold our arms and allow evil people to destroy our land,” it advised.
CAN called on government at all levels to wake up to its responsibility and put an end to the criminality that has brought about misery on the people.
