Gyang Bere, Jos
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Northern Nigeria, Rev. Yakubu Pam, has advised the Federal Government and the Northern Governor’s Forum (NGF) to halt killing of Christians in the North; before the situation degenerates into a civil war.
Rev. Pam said this, yesterday, in reaction to the murder of two Catholic bishops and 17 others, on Tuesday in Benue, and killing of 44 persons on Wednesday, also in Benue and Nasarawa states.
Pam said the senseless and ongoing killing is avoidable.
“My fear is that if the federal government and the NGF do not do something urgent, the killing of Christians in the North would degenerate one day into civil war. People are being killed on daily basis, yet, nobody has ever been arrested and nothing tangible has been done by the federal government.
“Looking at how professional the attacks are being carried out, I believe that these people are terrorists, they are Boko Haram and government, at all levels, need to respond swiftly; to curtail the menace before the people are pushed to defend themselves which will lead to civil war.”
Rev. Pam lamented that the North, which is backward in infrastructure, its economy is further devastated by attacks.
“I have the firm belief that these attacks are beyond ordinary herdsmen, they are terrorists who unleash terror on innocent persons in the North.
“Government has to declare these people as terrorists and investigate the recent killings in the North.”
Pam, who doubles as the chairman of the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, in Plateau State, added that ongoing attacks on churches in the North, if not checked by the government, could plunge the northern states into religious crisis that will be difficult to control.
He urged Christians in the North not to go to sleep over the security challenges facing them, but go all out to secure their places of worship “to avoid being attacked and killed by the enemies of Christian faith in the North.”
The cleric appealed to the people of Benue state to keep faith in God; to expose those who are bent on causing mayhem in parts of their state and other parts of the North.