Kogi CAN joins national protest

THE Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kogi state on Sunday joined other states to observe the day of prayer and protest declared by the national body of the association.

The protests were however carried out in churches in the state, where members displayed placards to express their displeasure with the ongoing killings across the country.

The leadership of CAN in the state had written to the blocs in the chapter on the mode that the protest was expected to take. Kogi state chairman of the CAN, Bishop John Ibenu, while speaking with newsmen after the protest in his church in Lokoja, said the protests were peaceful in the state.

He, however, said there was the need for the federal government to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission over the menace of herdsmen attacks in the country. Ibenu said, “It is a national day of prayer and protest, Christians don’t protest, if we have to that means the issues have reached the peak, we spent time to pray for the nation and Kogi state and also for the future, Kogi state CAN in obedience to the directive of national CAN observed the day in our church premises “In the process of protesting we should also keep the peace and stability of the nation and that is why we said it must be within the church premises because we want to do the best that we can to bring down the tension number two we want governance to go beyond promises tp practicality.

“The killings have continued unabated and it has been taken to the church, there were no grasses for cattle to eat in the church when the Fulanis invaded the church and killed worshippers, so what has started on the farm came to the village and has entered the church.

“Government must act to make sure that this was not something aimed at the church but started on the farm, we are being proactive by calling for attention before it degenerates, we do not want to be pushed to a point where we will start using the pulpits to tell everyone to look for available arm to defend themselves”.