Church Leaders, CAN Want Tinubu to Proscribe Armed Fulani Militias

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Heads of all Churches in Plateau State and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have called on President Bola Tinubu, to proscribe armed Fulani militias as part of initiatives to stem the tide of killings and insecurity.

They however, condemned the mindless killings in Plateau State on the eve of the recent Christmas celebration, describing it as “unprovoked, wicked, satanic, genocidal, horrific, and reprehensible”, adding that the attacks were about the “deadliest and most devastating on the Plateau.”

The Church Leaders, among other demands, called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to as a matter of urgency, “initiate the process of officially proscribing armed Fulani militias.”

They added that, “They should be officially designated as terrorists. This will give the military the power to fully engage them as provided in the Terrorism Act of 2022. It is on record that in 2015, the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) named the armed Fulani militias as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world.

“Nigeria must urgently act and treat them as such while also engaging other West African countries, through ECOWAS, to do the same thing. A regional approach, consensus and action have become extremely imperative to deal with the menace of the Fulani militias.”

Addressing a mammoth crowd of Christians during a solemn Peace Walk in Jos, Chairman Denominational Leaders, Rev (Dr.) Stephen Baba Panya and state Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev Father Polycarp Lubo said, “The total number of people massacred in cold blood so far is about 160 and still counting, while internally displaced persons (IDPs) are estimated now to be about 15,000, eight Churches burnt, and several persons still missing.”

Painting a horrific picture of the mindless manner in which the victims were massacred, Panya added that the timing of the killings on Christmas Eve and during Christmas celebrations had shown that the attackers had clear intentions and objectives, which were to target Christian communities, take them unawares, and inflict maximum casualty on them.

Commending President Bola Tinubu and Governor Caleb Mutfwang for their timely intervention in condemning the attacks in totality and directing security agencies to go after the culprits and bring them to justice, the church leaders noted “with great encouragement and hope that this is a marked departure from the lacklustre response of the presidency and the federal government during similar attacks in the past,” calling on security agencies to align with this new mindset and ensure that the criminals responsible for the heinous attacks were apprehended, prosecuted and brought to justice.

“We call for timely intervention in the provision of emergency relief in terms of food, water, toiletries, sleeping materials and other such necessities. We appreciate the directive given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relevant federal government agencies such as NEMA to mobilise and provide succour to the victims.

“We also commend the great effort of His Excellency, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang in not only outrightly condemning the attack, but also taking urgent concrete steps in providing food and other necessities to the displaced survivors in the IDP camps.”