Show commitment, set free Leah, Grace and others, CAN pleads with Buhari

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Samson Ayokunle, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the release of Miss Leah Sharibu, Grace Taku and other hostages in the den of Boko Haram terrorists.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Ayokunle noted that the primary duty of any serious government is the security of lives and property of the governed, adding that any government that cannot guarantee this primary responsibility may lose the confidence of the citizens.

The CAN president urged the federal government to expedite action towards the release of the remaining Dapchi schoolgirl, saying: “We believe strongly that Leah Sharibu is still alive, hail and hearty and she and others must be set free from captivity. Enough of paying lip-service to the menace of security challenges in the country.

“We have heard the prompt response made by the federal government to the Save-Our-Soul cry of Grace and we join her in calling on the President and the security agencies, especially the Department of State Service (DSS), to secure her freedom and that of Leah. Grace Taku has cried out on behalf of other hostages, like Amuta and Pastor Moses Oyeleke, before getting too late.

“How come these six aid workers were abducted and taken to the den of the captives without the awareness of the security agencies? What has become of their intelligence gathering? Are we sure there are no saboteurs among our security agencies? Is there anything the government and the security agencies are doing to stop this menace that we don’t know to avert its negative effects? Are some notorious people taking the law into their hands?

“CAN has watched a video of Boko Haram terrorists’ camp where Grace Taku, an aid worker of Action for Hunger, had appealed to the federal government. CAN and other well-meaning people urge government to secure her freedom and those of the other five victims who were attacked and abducted by their captors recently.

“Boko Haram sect, sometimes in April this year, reportedly kidnapped a corps member, Abraham Amuta, and a cleric with Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), identified as Pastor Moses Oyeleke, in Borno State. We have not heard anything about their whereabouts.’”

Ayokunle called for a total overhauling of the security apparatus of the country and appealled to developed countries to assist Nigeria in combating the challenges before they become unbearable, noting that there is no exaggeration in saying Nigerian roads are unsafe, as kidnappers, terrorists, killer herdsmen and bandits operate with impunity.