Why we can’t stop asking FG to tackle insecurity – CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said it is not doing the bidding of the terrorists by crying out for the freedom of Nigerians, especially Christians in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.

The association said government should wake up to its primary responsibilities of protecting the lives and property of the people.

The CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, said, in a statement signed on his behalf by his spokesman, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, that calling on the Federal Government to free their members from their captors who claim to be attacking them for religious sake is the right thing to do in this situation.

The Presidency in a statement through the presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, while reacting to recent statements by some religious leaders, said the current government shall never tolerate religious intolerance.

But Ayokunle said: “These criminals are targeting the predominant Christian communities, killing, maiming and abducting the people with or without any resistance from the security agencies. Let the government wake up to its responsibilities and see if we will not stop talking about its failure to protect our members.

“That is not politicisation of religion. The governor of Borno State is shouting that the soldiers are extorting money from the people instead of defending them.

“If the government has not been treating those criminals with kid gloves, let them publish names of the kingpins of the terrorists, killer herdsmen and bandits in their custody and those who are being prosecution in the court of law for the world to see. How many Christians are heading any of the security agencies in the country?”

“Since Leah Sharibu and other Chibok girls have been crying for help, there is nothing on ground to show that the government has been sensitive to their plight. 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 CAN will not keep quiet since that is the only thing we can do aside from praying for the captives,” he stressed.