Urges Tinubu to take decisive action instead of sending condolences

Former Governor of Plateau State and the Convener of the Northern Christian Solemn Assembly, Jonah Jang, yesterday, said that Christians had experienced violence on an unprecedented scale in Nigeria, adding that the magnitude of this suffering is staggering, particularly in the Middle Belt.

Jang said that the situation in the Middle Belt is dire, yet it remained largely unknown or downplayed until the recent amplification by the United States (U.S.), which designated Nigeria a country of particular concern.

He, therefore, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take decisive action, instead of setting up committees or sending condolences.

The former governor, who spoke at the event organised by the Stefanos Foundation, themed “The Blood of the Martyrs: Seed of the Church,” held in Abuja, lamented that extremist groups like Boko Haram, bandits, killer herdsmen, and unknown gunmen have targeted the communities with bombings, kidnappings, and executions while worship places are bombed, villages burnt to the ground, and innocent lives lost with impunity.

He said that before the declaration of Nigeria as a country of particular concern, the international community, the political class, and indeed some religious leaders had failed to take significant action.

Jang noted that thousands of lives, including men, women, and children, had been shattered by violence.

He, however, lamented that across Nigeria, too many priests and seminarians have been abducted, ransomed, or murdered, adding that when criminals target God’s servants, they attack the moral backbone of the society.

He said: “We have gathered not merely to discuss insecurity but to confront a truth that has been downplayed.

Today, we come together to discuss the ongoing crisis of insecurity that, for too long, has been ignored, minimised, or misunderstood.

“The term ‘genocide’ carries immense weight, defined by the United Nations as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

Jang also told the Minister of Defence that the military could not continue issuing statements denying killings while the graves increase.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs and the Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba, said that for over 15 years, there had been attacks on the various communities that started with herders feeding their animals on the farms of the natives and despite protests, no solution was offered and this now led to the killings being carried out in the various communities.

The monarch noted that this grew to the extent that communities have been virtually annihilated and their lands taken over by the herders, who are mostly Fulani to the understanding of the communities. (The Guardian)

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