The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has condemned in strong terms the wanton killings and insecurity ravaging the country, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise the security agencies with a view to injecting new officers with fresh visions.
In a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the Special Assistant, (Media & Communications) to Rev Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, CAN president, the group frowned on the failure of the security agencies to prevent criminals before they strike.
CAN said: “We condemn in strong terms the menace of insecurity challenges occasioned by the incessant killings in the country and we restate our earlier call on President Buhari to re-organise the security agencies. We commiserate with the victims and the bereaved of all the killings going on in the country especially in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and the Zamfara States by the terrorists, the herdsmen and the bandits.”
“We identify with the victims of the on-going killings by the herdsmen terrorists in the North Central, the Boko Haram terrorists in some states of the North East and bandits in Zamfara State while we frown at the failure of the security agencies to prevent those criminals before they strike as expected of them,” it stated.
“We maintain our opposition to the composition of the National Security Council which skewed in favour of one religion and a part of the country. Ours is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state and we call on the President to respect the Federal Character Commission Act in all his appointments and also re-organise the entire security agencies with a view to injecting new officers with new visions and ideas that can restore sanity to all the trouble spots in the country.”
The group called on all Christians of voting age to register ahead of the forthcoming general elections, saying. “We urge all Christians who are of voting age to go and register ahead of the forthcoming general elections and we are calling on the Independence National Electoral Commission, INEC, to stop the underage registration that has characterised the on-going registration of voters in some parts of the country.
”INEC should also desist from deliberate attempts being made to discourage people from participating in the registration exercise by the INEC officials in some states of the Federation.”
The group, however, appealed to its members not to be discouraged or intimidated by the frustration being encountered during the registration exercise.
“We urge our members to participate in the political process in the country as the need arises with a view to having the right people at the right places of governance and we appeal to our members not to be intimidated or discouraged by the frustration associated with the registration exercise but to ensure that they all secure their Permanent Voters Card, PVC,” CAN stated.
