Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has lamented what it described as growing insensitivity by the federal government to the plight of victims of Boko Haram terrorists.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, CAN said it would continue talking about insecurity in the country until the situation changes.
“We are calling on the federal government to free our members from their captors who claim to be attacking us for religious sake is the right thing to do in this situation we have found ourselves. These criminals are targeting the predominant Christian communities, killing, maiming and abducting the people with or without any resistance from the security agencies is unprecedented,”
CAN said that since Leah Sharibu and other Chibok girls have been crying for help, there has been nothing on ground to show that the government has been sensitive to their plight.
It said: “the only reason why they are in captivity is because they are Christians – no more, no less. That the government is condemning the terror attacks is not the same thing as stopping the attacks and arresting the criminals responsible or are they telling us they are spirits? Telling us to keep quiet is adding salt to our injuries.
“Last week, it was Adamawa and on Monday, this week it was Kaduna State where 41 people were kidnapped! As long as the unpleasant situations in the country remain the same, the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria will not keep quiet since that is the only thing we can do aside from praying for the captives.
CAN said it was not doing the bidding of the terrorists by crying out for the freedom of its members in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.
“The government should wake up to its primary responsibility, which is to protect the lives and property of the people,” it said.
CAN urged the government to wake up to its responsibilities and see if the religious body will not stop talking about its failure to protect its members.
The religious body further charged the government to publish names of the kingpins of the terrorists, herdsmen-killers and bandits in their custody and those who are being prosecuted in the court of law for the world to see.
It also expressed concern over the lopsidedness in the appointment of headship of the security agencies.
“How many Christians are heading any of the security agencies in the country? We are praying for the government on daily basis but that does not mean where the government is failing we should keep quiet”.
