Worried by the incessant killings of Christians in the northern part of the country, the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on Thursday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
They demanded for the review of the country’s security architecture to end incessant killings by suspected herdsmen.
The Christian leaders also urged President Buhari to ensure the release of the abducted student of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by Boko Haram militants for refusing to denounce her Christian faith.
According to presentation at the closed doors meeting with the President, the leader of CAN in the 19 Northern States, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said the review of security architecture in the country has become imperative to give the security apparatus a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence and support of the general populace.
He also lamented that the continuous abduction of underage Christian girls who were forcefully converted to Islam and given out for marriage without the consent of their parents, breeds religious disharmony.
The group therefore urged President Buhari to intensify and speed up actions for the release of girls in captivity, especially Sharibu.
Pam said: “That the security architecture of the country should be re-visited to give it a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence, and support of the general populace.
“All communities ravaged by the herdsmen violence in the North should be rebuilt and adequate security be put in place to enable displaced persons to return to their homes and means of livelihood
“The Federal Government should roll out a robust advocacy programme to enlighten the nomadic herders on modern cattle rearing against open grazing and roaming across states and national boundaries.”
The group also demanded that the federal government should encourage herders to acquire land for cattle ranching across the country as a means of private business investment.
The group noted that while the federal government under the current administration is celebrating an agricultural revolution, most farmers, especially in the north, can no longer go to their farms due to the sustained attacks by herdsmen.
CAN urged the government to reconcile its priority by providing the necessary safety for the farmers to go on with their farming activities.
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