Northern Christians raise alarm over rising insecurity, blame Buhari

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government over the rising insecurity in the country.

In a statement on Monday signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Northern CAN, Rev. Jechoniah Albert, titled ’DEMOCRACY DAY, INSECURITY AND THE LOOMING FOOD CRISIS’, the body said the Buhari-led administration has institutionalized hardship.

“The security situation in the country today has worsened with bandits, kidnappers and Boko Haram insurgents unleashing mayhem on Nigerians, killing innocent people and sacking communities.

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“Thousands of Nigerians, especially, in rural communities have been rendered homeless by bandits. On a daily basis across the country, communities are being raided, people are being killed or abducted by rampaging bandits and other criminal elements.

“The security situation has crippled the economy as traveling on the highways across the country has become a nightmare to Nigerians. The rains are here but farmers cannot go to the farms for fear of being killed or abducted by bandits.

“The implication of this is that a looming food crisis stares us in the face and unless steps are taken to provide a secure environment for farmers to return to the farms, we may be in for more trouble with a hungry and frustrated population.

“Furthermore, Northern CAN is also concerned about the frequent attacks on schools and the abductions of students and pupils by bandits, especially in states like Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Niger.

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“We fear that these attacks, if not checked, many parents will be discouraged and forced to withdraw their children from schools, given the recent cases in Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger States, where parents of abducted school children paid hundreds of millions of naira to bandits for the release of their children.

“We join other Nigerians to once again, call on the federal government for the umpteenth time, to urgently address the security situation once and for all to liberate Nigerians from criminal gangs and their reign of terror.

“We urged the President to go beyond rhetoric and match his words with action this time around in order to inspire confidence among Nigerians.