The Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) in 19 Northern
States and the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) yesterday in
Kaduna condemned the
persistent killings of
Christians in the North and
asked for a Sovereign
National Conference.
In a statement yesterday
reacting to last Sunday's
murder of Senator Daylop
Dantong representing
Plateau North Senatorial
District of Plateau State, Hon.
Gyang Danfulani, Majority
leader in the Plateau State
House of Assembly, among
estimated 63 people killed in
Barkin Ladi Local
Government, northern CAN
said: "Those people who
want to live by the swords
and bombs can have their
own country and kill
themselves. Those who want
to live in peace and catch up
with development that is
going on in some other parts
of the world can have their
country and make progress".
Also the Arewa Consultative
Forum (ACF), has condemned
the killing, and called for a
halt to the violence.
The statement from Northern
CAN signed by its Public
Relations Officer, Mr Sunday
Oibe reads: "We Christians in
Northern Nigeria are calling
on President Goodluck
Jonathan to demonstrate
enough political will to bring
an end to the activities of
terrorist groups in the north.
"The President once declared
that there are some Boko
Haram members in his
government; we can now
see the manifestation of this,
especially in the activities of
the Special Task Force in
Plateau State which failed to
respond to distress calls
during the massacre of rural
communities in Barkin-Ladi
Local government Area the
state.
"This time around, the
President should stop at
nothing until he brings the
activities of terrorists to an
end.
"We will not accept a
situation where only one
tribe in Nigeria is trying to
bring the entire country to
its knees. This is absolutely
unacceptable.
"It is activities of some
members of this tribe that is
undermining the National
Youth Service Scheme (NYSC)
which seeks to integrate us
as a nation.
"One tribe must not be seen
to be lording it over the rest
of Nigerians. Nigeria is
bigger than any tribe or
religion. We must, as a
people with conscience,
sense of patriotism and
sense of justice and fair play
resist these mindless,
barbaric killings. We call on
the National Assembly to
forget about their personal
interests and convoke a
National Conference to
determine whether we
should continue to live
together.
"We urge all peace loving
Nigerians who want to live
freely and make progress to
demand the convocation of a
National Sovereign
Conference so that we will
bring an end to these killings
and destruction of property."
This is the only way we can
peacefully bring an end to
this madness so that those
who want to develope can
make progress and those
who want to be killing can
go on killing themselves
when they are in their own
country.
"We urged the Christians in
Plateau state not to lose
hope and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ in the midst of
these unprovoked mass
killings including the killing
of Senator Gyang Dantong
and the Majority Leader of
the Plateau state House of
Assembly, Hon. Gyang Fulani.
"We want to state
categorically that we are not
accepting the usual
condemnation by
government which has
become a mere slogan. The
Government must not just
condemn it, it must fish out
the perpetrators and
sponsors of this wickedness
and bring them to justice for
the sake of peace and
stability.
"We believe that there are
some powerful elements
who are behind the activities
of these so called herds men.
We want to ask pertinent
questions: Has the
government of Nigeria
legalised possession of arms
by unauthorised individuals?
If the answer is 'no', how did
the Fulani herds men in the
north come to be in
possession of sophisticated
weapons, including military
uniforms and bullet proof
vests?
"Who supplied them these
weapons and the uniforms?
Where were the Special
Military Task Force deployed
to Plateau State when this
massacre was going on?
Why did it take them five
hours to get to the scene of
the incident?
"Reports reaching us said
the Special Task Force was
contacted by 4: am. It was
about 9:30 am that the task
force went there. We
understand that it was the
mobile police that went to
the scene of the incident.
Whose orders is the Special
Military Task Force carrying
out in Plateau?
"If the Barakin-Ladi Local
Government chairman called
the Task Force and they
promised they were coming,
why did the Task Force fail to
go until after they terrorists
had finished their operation?
"Our stand as Christians in
the North is that, we have
lost confidence in the ability
of the Special Task Force in
Plateau to protect the lives
and property of Christians in
the state. We will not accept
any intimidation of Christians
by security agencies over this
issue.
"If the government wants
peace to reign in this
country, then it must go
beyond the usual
condemnation and rhetoric
by exposing the sponsors of
these so called Fulani herds
men that have continued to
caused havoc to Christians in
Plateau, Benue, Taraba and
the Southern part of Kaduna
state.
"It is becoming very
dangerous for Christians to
go about their legitimate
businesses in the north as a
result of terrorists' activities.
On its Part, the National
Publicity Secretary of the, Mr.
Anthony Sani ACF in a
Statement sent to Journalist
by e-mail said: "the news of
the killing of innocent people
in some villages in Barki Ladi
of Plateau state, Nigeria, has
come to Arewa Consultative
Forum with great shock.
"Tremendous shock not only
because the killing included
women and children, but
also because they have
occurred just after the recent
reconciliatory meetings
between the wary factions,
as well as after the recent
visit by the new National
Security Adviser to Plateau
state in continuation of his
search for how best to
address the security
challenges across the
country.
"More depressing has been
the following killing of
Senator Dantong and the
Chief Whip of Plateau state
House of Assembly as well as
the wounding of a member
of the House of Reps.
"It is, therefore, with heavy
heart that ACF wishes to call
on all those who derive
pleasure in violent killing of
neighbours as their own
ways of addressing
grievances to stop such drift
to the stone age when
communal violence was the
deed in fashion. In the
twenty first century, such
approach is certainly
primitive and barbaric,
especially when regard is
paid to the fact that under
democracy there are due
process of addressing any
perceived grievances.
"ACF also calls on the
governments and security
agencies to prosecute
perpetrators of such heinous
crimes against humanity as
deterrence for future
occurrences.
"And finally ,the forum
commiserates with families
of those killed, and prays to
God to provide them with
the fortitude to bear the
irreparable losses .May their
souls rest in perfect peace".
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