Amos Tauna, Kaduna
President, United Church of Christ in Nigeria, HEKAN, Reverend Amos Kiri, has called on the Federal government to apply the same tactics in dislodging Boko Haram on herdsmen killing innocent Nigerians.
He noted that they are attacking and killing innocent people across the country, stressing that treating herdsmen killers with kid gloves was an injustice to Boko Haram members who faced full military bombardment.
Reverend Kiri made the call in Kaduna on Sunday while addressing the congregation on the occasion of 51st annual convention of the church, with the theme, “Restoration.”
He lamented that the country had suffered enough casualties in the hands of the herdsmen, adding that they deserved same punitive measures being given the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency.
He explained that the succeeding war on Boko Haram terrorists should be sustained by the federal government, stressing that killings by both herdsmen and the insurgents must be stopped.
The Christian cleric used the occasion to thank God for granting President Muhammadu Buhari recovery after his sojourn in London for medical attention, adding that the church would continue to pray to God to grant the President good health as he steers the affairs of the country.
He said, “The continuous killings by herdsmen across the length and breadth of this country are a thing of great concern to all peace loving Nigerians.
“May I urge the government to use the same massive attacks used by the combined efforts of the gallant armed forces of Nigeria in dislodging Boko Haram from Sambisa forest on the herdsmen who are attacking and killing innocent Nigerians.
“This country has suffered enough from the hands of the herdsmen. The succeeding war on the Boko Haram terrorists should be sustained. The killing must be stopped.
“Government should provide adequate security for the returnees from IDP camps to avoid unwanted killings. Government must not fail in this responsibility.”
Reverend Kiri also called on the federal government to bring palliative measures to cushion the hardship Nigerians were going through as a result of the ongoing economic recession in the country.
He advised that government should intensify efforts to bring back most of the closed industries in order to provide employment for the army of unemployed youth across the country.
The HEKAN President commended the efforts of Kaduna State government in finding lasting solution to recent crisis in Southern Kaduna.
To this end, he called on the State government to ensure that those behind the killings were made to face the full wrath of the law of the land, pointing out that, “We as a church, we are ready to make Kaduna State a better place to live again. This is a task that we must all embrace , regardless of our religious or ethnic bearings.”
On the forthcoming national population census in the country, Reverend Kiri said it would help in no small measure in national planning for the citizenry, and called on all Nigerians to massively turn out for the exercise and ensure that they are counted as soon as the head count commences.
