CAN Summit: Osinbajo, Turaki, Others Decry Insecurity, Harp On Prayers

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA – Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has given hope to Nigerians that the spate of insecurity in the country would soon become a thing of the past as Nigeria would soon overcome it through prayers.

Several speakers at the one Day Peace. and security Summit on “Nigeria’s Insecurity: The church’s response in the 21st century” organized by CAN Kaduna state on Tuesday also lamented the precarious level of Banditry, Kidnapping and several bloodletting in the land and the helpless state of government to end it.

According to Vice President Professor Osinbajo Nigeria’s problems is liken to that of a woman in a labour room, adding that after much pains, there will be celebration by Nigerians when the country finally comes out of the present Socio- economic doldrum .

Represented by the Chaplain, Aso villa Chapel, Pastor Joseph Oluseyi Malomo at the summit, he said “ we all desired a nation devoid of any form of kidnapping and terrorism.We have heard prophecies of a shining Nigeria, we are longing for the day those prophecies will come to reality.

“We need to fight the fight of faith because God’s plan for the greatness of Nigeria has not changed, it will surely come. We need to pray for Nigeria”

He further noted “ Many are weighed down because of problems they are going through, we must as Christians keep the Altars of God burning with prayers to overcome these problems.

” We must keep faith and see the problems we are going through as bread. God will take us to the promise land of a great nation with great values.We must reject politics of identity and ethnicity. Nigeria is going to be a shining nation, and insecurity will soon end,” he added

On his Part , the Keynote Speaker and Professor Yusuf Turaki, however alleged that government is no unaware of the kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements in Nigeria adding that violence has taken over the country to the extent that every segment of the society was overwhelmed by violence.

He also faulted what he described as false ‘ Farmers-herders’ narrative by the political class as reason for killings in the Middlebelt, pointing that it is a deception of the motives but rather ” a repetition of Sokoto jihadists war.”

“These are Foreign Fulani who have been allowed to enter Nigeria so that they could help their brothers in Nigeria to kill innocent citizens and wreak havoc on our ancestral lands.These Fulani occupy the lands, carrying AK47, killing people, destroying communities in the middle belt and other parts of the country.And the government knows them, government pays them to destroy ancestral lands. Politicians know the bandits that enter Nigeria, but they will not tell us.”

“Politicians have devised a wrong narrative that is deceptive, saying it is farmers/herders clash in middle belt, if it is clash, how comes Fulani are carrying AK47 to kill the people.Nigeria is well blessed with intelligent people but they cannot up till today solve insecurity in the country. Something terrible has befallen our country. God, open the mouths of the people, let them speak the truth and die for the truth.”

“What the Fulani are doing now is exactly what Sokoto jihadists did in those old days. They kidnapped and asked people to pay ransom in those days. If you cannot pay, they sold you into slavery or kill you. So kidnapping is not different from what happened during the Sokoto jihadists war. They captured infidels.It is being repeated now in Nigeria,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, CAN Chairman Kaduna state chapter, Rev John Joseph Hayab revealed that in the last five years, four Pastors were killed, while 18 Pastors were kidnapped since the banditry began in the state, within the period under review

He said that in 2019, CAN published records of kidnappings where it recorded a total of over five hundred (500) Christians who had been kidnapped.

”On record, CAN had about eighteen (18) pastors kidnapped with four (4) of them killed. Past. Jeremiah Omolara – Living Faith Church, Romi New Extension, Rev. Iliya Anto – Former Vice President of HEKAN Church, Rev. Fr. John Bako Shekwolo – St. Theresa Catholic Church, Ankwa, Kachia Local Government Area and Rev. Hosea Akuchi – Nasara Baptist Church, Guru were killed.”

”CAN gathered these records through a questionnaire developed and shared in one of her meeting with hundreds of Pastors and relations of kidnapped victims in over twenty (20) communities that were sacked from their communities as a result of their abductions.”

“Data gathered also revealed an approximated amount of money paid as ransom to have people freed within the period, on a survey, to be over three hundred million naira (N 300,000 000) as at 2019.”

‘Today, the amount has risen to over a billion naira with many victims’ dead and even more still in the hands of kidnappers as we speak. When CAN presented the statistics above, CAN was misinterpreted, but a Kaduna state 2020 annual Security report released by government and published by Guardian Newspaper on 10th of March, 2021 vindicated CAN and furthered showed that our record did not capture the colossal damage that the spate of kidnapping has brought to bear on the population.”

‘The government’s report as published stated that 937 people were killed by Bandits and 1972 kidnapped within the period. Another first quarter 2021 security report published by government reported by premium time, on the 30th of April 2021 indicates that 323 people were killed, and 949 people have been kidnapped,” he said.

“CAN believes that the second quarter report that we are waiting for from government may have a higher figure than what we already have. Manifestly, the trouble with Nigeria’s security, like most of our challenges in Nigeria, simply lacks a sincere collaborative effort in solving it.”

He further gave an illustration on the need to deemphasize use of the supposedly professional on tackling the manace of insecurity, but get all.hands on deck irrespective of education and status as the panacea of the the security crises in the country

” Let us listen to everyone ready to suggest a way out, not only the “professionals.” Traditional leaders, religious leaders, association leaders and even the common people, youths, women and children all have a stake in this matter.

“It is against the above background that the church in Kaduna State thought it wise to bring together pastors and church leaders in this great assembly to jointly deliberate and come out with practicable strategies within Christian teaching and biblical provisions meant to complement the government’s efforts in the great task of handling the challenge of insecurity,” he reiterated