•Urges presidency to stop speaking for bandits
By John Shiklam
Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, has asked the presidency to stop speaking for the bandits unleashing terror on communities in the Southern part of Kaduna State.
Hayab spoke yesterday during an indoor protest organised by the state chapter of CAN over the incessant mass killings in Southern Kaduna.
In an interview with journalists after the protest and special prayers in Kaduna, Hayab said: “The presidency should stop speaking for the bandits that are out to wipe out the people of Southern Kaduna.”
He said by speaking for the killers, the presidency gave the impression that it knew the killers.
According to him, if the government wakes up to its responsibility of protecting the citizens and chase out the killers, there will be peace in Southern Kaduna.
“It is sad and embarrassing that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force made security so cheap under the current political dispensation by arresting individuals but failed to send troops to root out bandits,” he added.
He said despite several threats he had received from some faceless persons over his stance on the killings in Southern Kaduna, he would continue to speak out until the killings had stopped.
“The federal government should stop being the spokesman of the bandits. If the government can send security personnel to arrest somebody in Sokoto, Port Harcourt – if they can send that to Southern Kaduna, peace will come to the state.
“We have challenges of killings, especially in Southern Kaduna. The development becomes bad. We have cried out but what we see happening is that government, instead of listening to our cry and attending to our cry, seems to be speaking for the killers.
“So, we said since we don’t have anybody to speak for us, we called on Christians, declaring a whole month (August) every Sunday like this, we meet and speak to ourselves and expressed our grievances to the entire world.
“We are all simply saying, stop the killings. We don’t want anything or favour from them. The constitution of the country said the government should protect us but we seemed not to be protected,” he added.
Hundreds of Christians trooped out for the protest, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “Enough of the bloodshed”, “Live and let live,” “Inaction is complacent,” “CAN says no to killings,” “who are you protecting, the killers or the citizens,” Southern Kaduna bleeds,” “Cry for help cry for justice,” and ” Speaks for the citizens not for the terrorists.”
Special prayers were also offered to end the bloodshed.
