Plateau Massacre: FG should stop killings in Northcentral ―Abuja baptists

THE Nigerian Baptist Convention, FCT Chapter and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northcentral zone have condemned in strong terms the ongoing killings in the country particularly the recent killings of over 200 people in Plateau State.

In a reaction to the Sunday carnage on the Plateau, the acting President of the FCT Baptist Conference and the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Israel Adelani Akanji for the zone, expressed surprise how herdsmen could attack in three Local government areas for several hours, killing over 200 and the security agencies appeared powerless.

“All right-thinking Nigerians should speak against the barbaric killings in the land. Children, women, youths and aged people are being slaughtered daily. We can no longer be keeping quiet why these are going on. The Federal Government should wake up and do the needful. Those perpetrators must be apprehended immediately.

“Our security agencies are not doing enough to stop these criminals. To worsen the situation, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), according to reports, has come out to justify the killings claiming they are retaliatory attacks for the alleged killing of 300 cows by Berom youths. Are the security agencies telling us that Miyetti Allah members are above the law?

“All these unending killings are telling the whole world that the security system in Nigeria has collapsed and this is a sad commentary on every citizen and the earlier our security agencies do what they are trained to do the better for every one of us. These killings must not continue. We have what it takes to stop the evil if our security agencies wanted to do their jobs,” Dr Akanji said.

In a related development, the FCT Baptist Conference has observed the spate of killings and ravaging of communities in the various states of the Federation by Fulani herdsmen, cattle rustlers, unknown gunmen and kidnappers and urged the Federal government to arrest the situation without fear or favour.

In a communique issued on Tuesday and signed by its President, Rev Dr Akanji and the Public Relations Officer, Rev Adebayo Oladeji after its Third Annual Session held in Kubwa, the Conference resolved that the Federal Government should ensure the release of Leah Sharibu and all other schoolgirls kidnapped in Dapchi, Chibok and other parts of the Northeast of Nigeria.

The Conference also lends its voice to those calling on both the Federal Government and Adamawa State Government against the hasty execution of some Christian youths who were sentenced to death for the alleged killing of a Fulani boy.

We observed that some five Christian youths have been sentenced to death by High Court in Yola, Adamawa State for the alleged killing of a Fulani boy. We called on the Federal Government to intervene in this matter to avert travesty of justice. Killing these youths will only compound the state of insecurity going on in the Northcentral of the country.

The Communique also observed that this year Theme: Moving Forward: Building A Great Nation Through Christian Participation (Proverbs 29:2) is very apt and relevant to our present political situation in Nigeria. It is therefore resolved that all Baptists in particular and Christians, in general, should register, obtain PVC and come out en masse to vote in the next general election.