CAN flays recurring attacks by suspect

Association opposes grazing reserves, endorses ranches

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South East has condemned frequent attacks on many Nigerian communities by suspected herdsmen.

In a resolution after a meeting in Enugu at the weekend, they said it was high time the government took a decisive action towards curtailing the scourge of the herdsmen.

In a specific reference to the recent killing of hundreds of villagers in Agatu, Benue State, CAN said it was surprised that the herdsmen were murderously attacking communities with AK-47 rifles while security agencies looked the other way.

President of CAN in the zone, Rev David Eberechukwu and the National Chairman of the Christian Enlightenment and Welfare Organization, CEWO, Dr. Ajujungwa Joseph, who signed the resolution, said the question by Nigerians had remained, “where do herdsmen get AK-47 guns they carry and does it mean that both the Nigeria Police and the Army are not seeing them?”

According to CAN, “It has been a great burden on the church in the East with regard to the attack by suspected herdsmen in every part of the six geo-political zones in the country, with much emphasis on the southern Nigeria and the North central zones.

“The attacks of the herdsmen on the innocent citizens of this country have become a nightmare on their host communities. The incessant rapes and murder of peace-loving Nigerians is highly condemnable.”

The group equally said it would vehemently resist any attempt to allocate grazing reserves for the herdsmen, stressing, “we condemn the idea of grazing fields and ask the sponsors of such a bill to stop it. This is clearly importation of terrorists into the nation and peace will elude the entire country.”

While urging the National Assembly not to pass such a bill, the Christian body equally called on the Federal Government “to come to the aid of the terrorized communities, where the herdsmen have created more problems than the Boko Haram.

“We advocate the building of ranches, which will in turn, provide schools, hospitals and employment to the teeming unemployed youths. This is what is obtainable in developed countries.

“We also call on the state governors to protect the communities under such a threat and also strengthen community policing through the traditional rulers”.