The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has asked the Nigerian government to “wake up to its primary responsibilities which is to protect the lives and property of the people.”
“Calling on the federal government to free our members from their captors who claim to be attacking us for religious sake is the right thing to do in this situation we have found ourselves,” the association said in a statement signed by Pastor Bayo Oladeji, spokesperson to its president, Samson Ayokunle.
“These criminals are targeting the predominant Christian communities, killing, maiming and abducting the people with or without any resistance from the security agencies.
“Let the government wake up to its responsibilities and see if we will not stop talking about its failure to protect our members. That is not politicisation of religion. The governor of Borno State is shouting that the soldiers are extorting money from the people instead of defending them.
“If the government has not been treating those criminals with kid gloves, let them publish names of their kingpins, of the terrorists, herdsmen killers and bandits in their custody and those who are being prosecuted in the court of law for the world to see.”
The association said it would continue to make its feeling on persecution of Christians public until the government addressed the security situation in the country.
“We are praying for the government on daily basis but that does not mean where the government is failing we should keep quiet,” the statement added.
“Since Leah Sharibu and other Chibok girls have been crying for help, there is nothing on ground to show that the government has been sensitive to their plight. The only reason they are in captivity is because they are Christians, no more, no less.
“That the government is condemning the terror attacks is not the same thing as stopping the attacks and arresting the criminals responsible or are they telling us they are spirits? Telling us to keep quiet is adding salt to our injuries.
“Last week, it was Adamawa and on Monday, this week it was Kaduna State where 41 people were kidnapped! As long as the unpleasant situations in the country remain the same the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria will not keep quiet since that is the only thing we can do aside from praying for the captives.”