The President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Olasupo Ayokunle, has called on the Federal Government to prosecute some herdsmen arrested in connection with recent killings in Southern Kaduna and Benue State, stressing that it should be prepared for war if it failed to act.
He stressed that it is only when the suspects are made to face the wrath of the law that tension that had risen in the two states would reduce.
Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), warned that failure to stop the unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in some parts of the country could spark war in the country.
He stressed that government must rise p to protect innocent Nigerians through effective security surveillance particularly at the nation’s borders to prevent illegal immigrants from gaining entry.
The cleric spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital at a special service held at First Baptist Church (Miracle Cathedral). The Centenary Estate built by the Ekiti Conference of NBC which is located in Oke Ila area of the town was also commissioned during Ayokunle’s pastoral visit by the Ewi, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe.
A book titled: “The History of First Baptist Church, Ado Ekiti” was also launched at the event. It was written by the church’s Historical Committe and was reviewed by the Vice Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Prof. Matthew Ojo.
Ayokunle urged members of the church and Christians in general to be more committed to evangelism and preaching of the gospel saying, “We wouldn’t have had Boko Haram if we had evangelized well.”
In a sermon entitled: “Moving Forward, Exhibiting the Features of a Prevailing Church”, Ayokunle said the church has a duty to pray for Nigeria to overcome all its social, economic and political problems.
“There is need to pray more for Nigeria because it is only prayer that can save us. Let us continue to pray for the leadership of this country. But I want to urge the government to check the menace of the herdsmen in some parts of the country.
“We are calling on the Federal Government to prosecute the hersdmen arrested in connection with the recent killings in Benue and Southern Kaduna because this will ease tension in the two states.
“We also want the Federal Government to investigate through intelligence gathering those unpatriotic Nigerians supplying the hersdmen with weapons being used to perpetrate evil.
“If the government fails to stop the provocation of the Fulani (hersdmen), they should be prepared for war. No ethnic group has monopoly of violence and no ethnic group should be a monster to others.”
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