Herdsmen killings: Tension of religious conflicts builds up

• Anglican Communion warns Buhari against execution of convicted Christian in Yobe

The pervasive killings by Fulani herdsmen in several parts of Nigeria and the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to protect lives of property of innocent citizens, who are victims of the Fulani herdsmen onslaught, have been generating tension of religious conflicts. The tension has become execrated by the speed with which a Christian was hurriedly convicted and sentenced to death in Yobe State for killing a Fulani herdsmen.  The action became condemnable by many stakeholders in the polity since Fulani herdsmen have killed innocent Christians and indigenes in hundreds, destroyed their farmlands, acquired and occupying their territories, without effective actions by the federal government other than excuses and failure comparisons with previous administrations.

The Catholic Dominion had earlier pilled out millions of their followers on mass public action across the country penultimate week, warning that ‘Enough is enough’ of killing of Christians by Fulani herdsmen without restraints or protection from the government.

The Anglican Communion at the 17 Synod in Enugu, Enugu State, vehemently condemned speedy investigations, trial and urgent conviction of five Christians for the killing of a herdsman by a Yola High Court, Yobe State. The African Communion demanded the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari to forestall the killing of the five Christians convicted by the high Court in Yola.

National Daily gathered that after the first session of the Anglican Communion 17 Synod, on Sunday at St Matthew’s Church, Amechi-Awkunanaw, Enugu South Council Area, Enugu State, the Synod in a communiqué; signed by the Archbishop/Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma, Synod Secretary, Venerable. Stanley Nweze, and Registrar, HBC Ogboko, lamented the rising crime wave and killings in Nigeria; particularly, the pogrom perpetuated by the Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State, Southern Kaduna, Benue and Taraba states, beside the killing of seven policemen in Abuja last week by unknown gunmen. The synod chided the federal government for failure to protect the citizenry.

Anglican Communion further condemned the retention of the various service chiefs after their failures to perform their constitutional duties of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria; advocating that the President should overhaul the security architecture of the country to save lives and property.

The Anglican Communion accused the federal government and the Buhari administration of prejudice and treating the killer herdsmen with kids-gloves, stating that the actions had emboldened the killer herdsmen to maim, kill and destroy property across the country without restraint.

“The Synod suspects a possibility of strange collaboration between the herdsmen and the security agents, hence, the Synod calls for the immediate overhaul of the current security architecture, to inject new officers into the leadership of the Military and Police,” the communiqué declared.

The Anglican Communion further condemned the sustained detention of Miss Leah Sharibu because of her Christian faith, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, after her mates abducted at Dapchi been released. The Communion demanded the federal government to rake action for her release without further delay.

The Synod warned of the potential dangers of the unrestrained killings by Fulani herdsmen and the inability of the federal government to end the killings and protect lives and property, especially, of the Christians. They warned of the multiplier effects of provoking the resort to self-defence or religious strife as the government continues to fail to protect the people, their property and the territories.

The Synod further sided the Buhari administration over what they identified as lopsided anti-corruption war and hunting of the opposition politicians. The epileptic electricity supply in the country was brought under the lens of the Synod, including the deepening poverty falling education standard, among others.