In regard to the recent killing of Reverend Lawan Andimi, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State by Boko Haram terrorists, the association has demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari overhaul his security council.
Representing the entire Christian body in the country, the national chairman, His Eminence Dr. Samson Ayokunle asked the President critical questions regarding intelligence gathering and the sincerity of the fight against Insurgency.
In its statement on Thursday, CAN made ten other demands from President Muhammadu Buhari including the reversal of recent police promotions and the arrest of Miyetti Allah’s leader.
The demands:
- The President should overhaul the security council with a view of bringing in new heads of all the security agencies and the para-military which no religion or part of the country will dominate.
- The Federal government should either label the Miyetti Allah Fulani Association a terrorist organisation as being regarded in the terror index.
- The Federal Government should order the arrest of the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Groups in who are sponsoring and perpetuating the crime of Nigeria and prosecute them for all the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, and Taraba states, among others.
- The Federal Government should publish names of all kingpins of the terrorists who are in detention and those who are being prosecuted.
- The Federal Government should stop releasing the so-called repented terrorists since they are reportedly joining their colleagues in the forest to unleash terror on the land.
- The Federal Government should reverse the recent controversial Police promotion with a view to balancing religious and ethnic divides in the country.
- The Federal Government should stop sending delegations to all Islamic international organisations and let our Muslim counterparts be doing so as we are doing in all international Christian religious organisations.
- The Federal Government should stop discriminating against our female Youth corps who refuse to wear the NYSC trousers for religious reasons since they allow their Muslim counterparts to wear hijab.
- The victims of the consistent attacks should be assessed and adequately compensated. The victims in various IDPs be provided with adequate security and enough resources for continual survival.
- It is painful and a betrayal to note that the government gives more attention to so-called repentant terrorists than the victims of their evil with the claim that they are being reinstated and rehabilitated, even into the Nigerian Army. This is a major contradiction.
Reverend Andimi who was abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in early January, was murdered by his captors on Monday, despite calls for his release by various groups, including the national leadership of the Christian body.
In reaction to his death, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killing and pledged that the terrorist will be brought to book, tagged the murder of the clergyman as inhuman and vowed to ensure the insurgents pay dearly for their actions.