CAN Slams FG Again

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has again taken a dig at the federal government over the worsening insecurity in the country.

CAN was reacting to the statement credited to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah alleging that the nation’s insecurity had worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Spokesman of CAN, Adebayo Oladeji, who spoke to THE WHISTLER , said the government is paying lip service to the menace of terrorism in parts of the country.

“As far as we are concerned federal government is not ready or willing to end insurgency and terrorism.

“We read from the Chief of Army staff in an interview granted Arise Television, that they have ended insurgency, that they are only facing the challenge of terrorism.

“And he said that terrorism will still be in Nigeria in few years to come; what type of nonsense is that?

“For God’s sake, terrorists are killing people everyday and you are doing nothing about it,” he added.

Oladeji also stressed that both the government and the military have not been honest with Nigerians as the killings in the country disprove their statements.

“We are just hearing ‘terrorist has been defeated’, ‘terrorist is no more’, ‘terrorist has been chased out of Nigeria’; all these civilians they have been killing, were they killed in Cameroun? Are they killing them in Chad?  Are they not killing on Nigeria’s territory?

“Then, the army chief claimed in that interview that they have been tracking and arresting terrorists, even in Lagos, that they have arrested them, that they kept them in their custody; let them give us the names of the terrorists or the kingpins in their custody,” he said.

Adebayo also said that the prevalent menace is proof that the terrorists are entering and exiting the country freely.

“If the government and the military are telling us that there is no more insurgency or terrorism in the country and that they have chased them away; where are they coming from? How are they entering to the country? How are they entering to the heartland, to kill and to escape?

Oladeji also faulted the military’s style of releasing captured terrorists; adding it is detrimental to peace and security.

“Is it true that they are releasing them in the name of rehabilitation? Is it true?

“If you are still fighting a war and you are still releasing the prisoners of war or the rebellious soldiers, are you really serious about the war?

He also urged Buhari to fulfil his campaign promises to Nigerians and stop the bloodshed, adding that ‘mass burial’ was going on in the country.

 “President Muhammadu Buhari was voted in 2015 because he promised to end either insurgency or terrorism; he promised the whole world at Chatham house in London, has he done that?

“He was telling the whole world that he was concerned about what is going on in Libya; is he concerned about what is going on in Nigeria under his watch? May God deliver Nigeria,” he said.

He also said that Muslims occupying key positions of authority in the country poses serious leadership imbalance, and it is not healthy for the polity.

“We have said these things in the past, CAN’s position is that Muslims are taking over everywhere in government.

“Let me tell you this, we are not talking of service chiefs alone; all the security agencies that are been used to prosecute war against insurgency, they are headed by Muslims.

“What we are saying is that let them overhaul the security architecture of the country; let them balance it fifty-fifty. And let us see if the war against terrorism or insurgency will not be over within few days.

Meanwhile, CAN on Wednesday, condemned in strong terms last Sunday’s Boko Haram attack that claimed the lives of about 30 travelers at a military checkpoint in Auno near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The travelers were said to have been stranded at the checkpoint leading into Maiduguri which is usually shut for security purposes. It was learnt that the travelers arrived at the checkpoint after 5 pm. and met it shut and had no choice but to sleep there.

CAN, in its reaction, said the attack was another evidence that the country’s security architecture had collapsed under President Buhari’s watch.

In a statement sent to THE WHISTLER by the CAN President’s spokesperson, Pastor Oladeji, the body said it “found it rather shocking and unfathomable the reported policy of the military that necessitated closing the only entry gate against civilian citizens commuting from security risk roads and areas into Maiduguri only to become cheap preys for blood-thirsty terrorists to slaughter.

“If the road must be closed, why is the security protection not made available for the travellers who would arrive there after the closure? Was there any evidence that a thorough check was carried out on the travellers and their vehicles to confirm if they were armed? 

“The military authorities should investigate the circumstances that led to the emergence of the gate instead of adequate provision of security on the road in order to stop the incessant invasion of Maiduguri and terror attacks in the area,” said CAN.

It added, “The Army and Federal  Government had severally told us that terrorists had been decimated, technically defeated and chased away from the country; yet, the terrorists have become even more daring in their deadly operations, consistently attacking communities, killing, maiming, abducting and burning property with minimal or without any resistance from the frontline troops. This is totally unacceptable and it is condemnable.”

The Christian organisation called the total overhauling of the security architecture of the country to help address the nation’s insecurity.