The conglomerate of Churches of Christ in Nigeria, otherwise known as TEKAN, on Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to bring to an end the persistent unrest between the Jukun and Tiv speaking ethnic groups in Taraba State.
It also called on the Federal Government to take necessary steps to bring to an end the Southern Kaduna bloodletting and destruction of properties of the natives of the Southern Kaduna.
The appeals were made in a communique issued by TEKAN President, Rev. Dr. Caleb Ahima, and General Secretary, Rev. Moses Ebuga, after the executive council meeting of Tekan Church in Jos at the weekend.
According to the communique, “Council calls on the Federal Government, Benue and Taraba State governments to ensure that the Tiv- Jukun crisis is brought to an end in no distant time.”
TEKAN, a conglomerate of Northern Churches that had been in existence for over 64 years, with about 30 million members cutting across 15 denominational churches, said the president had not taken any action while insecurity and killings had kept increasing.
The churches expressed concern that in spite of several calls on the Federal Government to intervene in the Southern Kaduna and Taraba unrests, the calls seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, as innocent persons were still being killed without just cause.
“Council calls on the Federal Government to give more attention to victims of insurgencies, bandits and kidnappers in Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Plateau, Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Taraba, Yobe and many other parts of the nation.
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“TEKAN is worried that it has become easy for the authority and security agencies to go after critics of the government and those speaking against the continuous killings of Nigerians but seemingly very weak and slow in handling the perpetrators.
“We wondered why despite calls by the church, National Assembly, governors and concerned Nigerians for the complete overhaul of the Nigeria security apparatus, yet, the various calls for the change have received no action from President Muhammadu Buhari, while the insecurity keeps increasing.”
The communique called on the Federal Government, particularly the security agencies, to be more proactive, practical and visible in the war against insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, proliferation of firearms and all forms of criminality in Nigeria.
The Christian group challenged Buhari to be more responsive to the plight of Nigerians, even as it alleged that there was a high level of corruption in government at all levels.
It stressed: “Council frowns at the high level of corruption going on in the government at all levels, particularly the sad stories of heavy embezzlement we read in many Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and mismanagement of palliatives to citizens and calls on President Buhari to show more commitment in handling the news of this high level of corruption.”
TEKAN, however, called on the government at all levels to take appropriate measures toward helping and managing visible floods that had been ravaging some of the communities in flood prone areas.
