Insecurity: We’ll stand firm with the church – CAN

By Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reiterated its commitment to stand firm with Christians in the country despite the insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, herdsmen killings and persecution the church is going through in the nation.

CAN said it is putting pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government to ensure the freedom of Leah Shariubu, the remaining Chibok girls and other Christians who were abducted for no reason.

CAN National Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evang. Kwamkur Samuel Vondip in a press statement applauded Christians in the country for the peaceful election that returned Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle as president and Rev. Solomon Ahima as vice president of CAN.

“The leadership of CAN under Rev. Ayokunle came at a time that Christians are going through very hard times with attacks on the church from different angles, particularly the Middle Belt region of the country. This violence has almost covered the whole of the country now with the north more affected in general.

“The persistent attacks without corresponding response from the government in our own view made the leadership of CAN to insist on seeing President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The leadership saw the President on two to three occasions. The issues affecting the nation negatively, especially the church which range from high level of insecurity to the call for the release of Leah Sharibu, the call for Nigeria to dissociate herself from the membership of Islamic organizations because we perceived such as religious partisanship and a break of the constitution were tabled before the President for action.

“We equally, showed our displeasure to the seeming violence perpetrated by the Fulani herdsmen with a sense of impunity because they have not been brought to book. We presented the issue of imbalance or skewed appointments into government positions, particularly that of the security chiefs which needed being corrected,” he stated.

CAN expressed dismay over the activities of some disgruntled elements who were not satisfied with the outcome of the CAN national election and are peddling falsehood that the leadership of the association has not shown enough concern over the precarious condition of Christians in the country.

“How can any group now come up and say that the present leadership of CAN is not defending the faith? Were they absent from the country when all of these actions were taken? As if the above actions were not enough, CAN leadership also undertook visits to many crises riddled communities and distributed relief materials.

“We were in Southern Kaduna with relief materials; we went to Benue, Enugu, Maiduguri in Borno, Yola in Adamawa, Jalingo in Taraba, to mention a few. It is a fact that the best approach to solving a problem is to dialogue with the powers that be, but yet, mischief makers would always find reasons as to why the CAN president should not have visited the nation’s President without providing better alternative to the suffering church,” he added.