CAN protests rocks Ekiti over spate of killings in Nigeria

Members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ekiti State chapter, on Sunday, embarked on a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital over the incessant of killings allegedly by herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents.

The possession of the protest which begins at about 2 pm took off from the Ori-Apata office of the association located at Adebayo area of Ado-Ekiti, later terminated at Fajuyi park in the state capital.

They carried placards with various inscriptions such as; “Stop killings”,  “We must unite against killings in Nigeria”, “Christian demands justice”, “All Christians are created equally”, “It is inhuman don’t take life”, “Citizens must be protected from killers”, “Better welfare packages for IDPs”, “Life is sacred” among others.

The peaceful protest was monitored by the police officers from the Ekiti State police command as well as an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other para-military officers in the state.

Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of CAN in the state,  Revd Fr Peter Olowolafe while lamenting the spate of killings in the country described it as unbearable.

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According to him, “It is no gainsaying that Nigeria is under a siege orchestrated by the murderous blood-thirsty and criminally-minded Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani terrorists herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers who are all armed to the teeth, dressed in army uniforms and gradually overwhelming our security agencies.

“Their activities ranged from killing Christian youths, men, women, raping our women and daughters decapitating children and subjecting people to cold-blooded murder.

“Although their atrocities did not begin today, it increased with the advent of democracy which gave birth to the Sharia Law in some Northern States and outright violation of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution.

“However the account being witnessed under the current administration are unprecedented. Today the killers are unleashing terror on selected Christian communities while sometimes our security agencies appear that to be cowards or looking elsewhere.”

The CAN leader noted that the claims by the government that insurgents had been defeated was a ruse, adding that the recent killings across the country pointed to the fact that the nation’s security has collapsed.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack all the nation’s security chiefs so as to allow new ideas and strategies in the security of lives and property of Nigerians.

Olowolafe said: “Although the government often claims to have defeated the terrorists, what we are seeing on a daily basis cannot justify such stand.

“We are demanding that the President should overhaul the security council with a view of bringing in new heads of all the security agencies and the para-military which no religion or part of the country will dominate.

“The Federal Government should either label the Miyetti Allah Fulani Association a terrorist organisation as being regarded in the terror index.

“It is our collective belief that as long as the government continues to live in denial and fail to face reality, these criminals will not stop their criminalities. We are losing hope in the government’s ability to protect Nigeria especially Christians who have endangered species under its watch.”

The group called on the international communities to come to the aid of Nigerians especially Christians and stop the incessant killings across the country.