In the report, Mr. Amir who makes reference to the March 20 attack says, “Our courageous fighters carried out this historic attack to send a great message to Ortum and his collaborators: Wherever you are, once you are against Fulani long-term interest, we shall get you down. This is a clear warning. We hope those who take us for granted will get the indisputable message.”
In their March 22 statement signed by the Secretary General of CAN, Joseph Bade Daramola, the Church leaders say, “The shadowy group, the Fulani Nationality Movement that claimed responsibility has not been outlawed and the herdsmen leaders who publicly threatened the Governor are still going about their businesses as if they have done nothing unusual.”
They pose in reference to those who subscribe to FUNAM, “Is the government waiting till they have successfully carried out their evil and wicked enterprise? What are these people turning the country into, in this century?”
CAN representatives further pose, “If these murderous Fulani herdsmen are not Nigerians, as we are being told, why do our security agencies appear powerless before these criminals? Are they holding superior ammunition? Are they waiting till everyone results in self-defense with the attendant consequences?”
“The primary responsibility of any government is to protect the lives and property of the citizens,” they say, adding, “If President Muhammadu Buhari wanted his name to be written in gold, let him fix the security problems in this nation before his tenure is over.”
They further call on the President Buhari-led administration “to roll out the list of names of the kingpins of those murderous herdsmen, kidnappers, bandits and terrorists in the prison and Police custody and those under trials.”
“As long as the government continues treating these criminals with kid gloves, so also will they continue operating with impunity!” CAN officials say in their March 22 statement.
In the statement, the Christian leaders acknowledge with appreciation President Buhari’s directive that an open and transparent investigation into the attack on the governor be conducted, and add, “We hope that the matter will not be swept under the carpet.”
Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.
