Owo church killers want to pit Christians against Muslims, says ACF

Northern Christians deplore the failure to tame insecurity

Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed shock over the killing of worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, urging the Federal Government to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.

The Northern socio-cultural group, in a statement, yesterday, by its Secretary-General, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu, asserted that the perpetrators were on a mission to pit Christians against Muslims to plunge the country into crisis.

Lamenting that the level of security challenges in the country is heightening by the day, the ACF noted Christian and Muslim faithful as targets in their places of worship.

It stated: “ACF is shocked over what it considers the most barbaric and implacable human act, in recent times.”

According to the Arewa leaders, the killing of innocent worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, on the first service week ushering in the month of June, could best be described as an unimaginable erosion of inhumanity enveloping the nation.

“The ACF frowns on such animalistic attack on a peace-loving community,” it added.

IN the same vein, the Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC) has observed the inability of the Federal Government to overcome killings, kidnappings and other criminal activities the country has emboldened terrorists to challenge Nigerians unabated.

In a statement, yesterday, CNNC Chairman, Steven Bangoji, alleged that the government imported bandits for the 2015 elections under an agreement it has not fulfilled its part of the bargain, adding that some government functionaries were beneficiaries of the ransom collected by bandits.

He also alleged that the government failed to give the criminals the agreed territories, by ejecting the indigenous people.

The statement alleged: “Government imported them for the 2015 election under an agreement which government has not fulfilled its part of the bargain. Some government functionaries are beneficiaries of the proceeds of the ransoms being collected.

“Nigerians have become used to hearing every day how many people have been killed or kidnapped and with the expected response from the government to apprehend and deal with the perpetrators. We are beginning to conclude that the government and the military are overwhelmed.”

Wondering whether Nigeria has become a conquered territory, the group described the attitude of the government and its security agents to the incessant evils as highly disturbing and condemnable.