Gowon, bishops, Islamic group, others task FG on arrest, trial of killers

Former Head of State and Convener, Nigeria Prays, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has called on the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute the masterminds of the killings in parts of the federation.

Speaking in Katsina State during the North West zone’s version of the programme, Gowon also called on the government to bring justice to all affected by the mayhem.

He stated that Nigerians needed to unite in condemning all forms of animosity, including bloodletting, clashes and hate speeches.

The former leader said if it were not for God’s mercy, the country would have been plunged into an unimaginable crisis on account of the killings.

He clarified that the Nigeria Prays project was to intercede for peace, prosperity and security in the country, adding that prayer solves problems faster than what generals and soldiers do with physical weapons of war.

In a similar vein, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has said the raging ‘shameful’ killings in the land were portraying the country as barbaric and brutish.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its president, Most Rev. Augustine Akabueze, and secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Umoh, the group urged the police force to immediately arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

Similarly, an Islamic body, the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), has sought the arrest and prosecution of the people behind the pogrom in the land.

Condemning the recent killings in Plateau State yesterday at a press conference in Jos, the National Chairman of Ulama’u Council, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, also decried the blockade on highways and murder of travellers by some irate youths.

He therefore called on both the federal and state governments to beef up security in the troubled spots nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Plateau government has relaxed the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on Barkin Ladi, Jos South and Riyom council areas. It is now to hold from 10.p.m. to 6.p.m. till further notice.

A statement yesterday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Rufus Bature, advised the affected local councils to adhere strictly to the new time.

Also yesterday, the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) urged the Federal Government to redouble efforts in curbing the attacks nationwide.

It enjoined urged the people to embrace peace and seek legal means of redress, noting that violence does no good to the community and the nation at large.

The president of the association, Khaleei Bolaji, at a press conference in Abuja, called on the government to identify and try the perpetrators of the heinous acts.

He expressed sadness over the spate of killings in the country.

The association also sought the full engagement of the governors in the implementation of measures being put in place by the Federal Government as chief security officers of their states.

Besides, the 115th General Church Council Meeting of the Christian Reformed Church-Nigeria (CRC-N) has identified illegal migration of persons with questionable characters through the nation’s porous land borders as one of the major causes of the security challenge plaguing the country.

During their gathering in Takum Local Council of Taraba State, the church admonished the Federal Government to immediately fashion out ways of halting “undesirable elements from assessing the land borders.”

The meeting, which brought together clerics and worshipers from across the federation, in its 12-point communiqué by the church president, Rev. (Dr.) Caleb O.S. Ahima, and Secretary General, Rev. Sagarga Nuvalga Gargea, urged the government to “take necessary measures to secure the nation’s porous borders.”