The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Friday, March 2, 2018, expressed dismay over the security lapses in Nigeria, which it said led to the abduction of 110 Dapchi schoolgirls.
In an emailed statement sent to The Trent by Adebayo Oladeji, the special assistant to the CAN President, Samson Olasupo Ayokunle on Friday, CAN said it was disappointed that despite repeated claims of victory over Boko Haram by the Buhari Government, the sect has continued to muster strength with effrontery to dare the administration in different ways.
It said the Dapchi incident has put Nigerian in deeper mourning about the unsecured future of Nigerian school children, most especially the females, given the failure of the government to ensure the rescue of all the Chibok girls who had earlier been kidnaped.
CAN added that the abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls by Boko Haram, almost unchallenged has offered the Federal Government a window of opportunity to look inward and to probe the incident to unravel the myth and invincibility around the Boko Haram terrorists.
It also called on the Federal government to interrogate the entire security apparatus in Nigeria with intent to detect moles and possible collaborators among the officers who, it stressed must face severe sanctions if found wanting.
CAN said, “We found it incongruous and reprehensible that there is no unanimity of purpose among security agencies in Nigeria, given the discordant tunes by the agencies. This has not been auguring well for the battle to contain terrorism in the country.
“We urge President Buhari to rise to the occasion as a leader and ensure harmony and enhanced professionalism among security agencies as a way of positioning them for the task of wrestling insurgency to stand still in Nigeria.
“Our Military should learn from their past and present mistakes by doing less of propaganda while facing the war against Boko Haram terrorists with zeal to root them out once and for all.
“In our view, the Government of President Buhari should urgently call for international support in the combat against terrorism as its incapacity in the battle against the insurgency in Nigeria is becoming
more glaring.
“Nigeria is increasingly reeling into a war situation with life expectancy getting shorter by the day amid massive killings by Boko Haram in the North East, Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt, armed gangs in the southern region, a reason we opined that calling for international support may not be out of place.
“We as a body will be willing any day to cooperate with the government, lending hands in whatever capacity we deemed fit to ensure an end to the reign of terror, barbarism and utter chaos in our country. We are strong of a view that all hands must be on deck in Nigeria to prevent the country from slipping into full-scale internecine war.
“We call on the National Assembly and all the states’ Houses of Assembly to support the unbundling of the Nigerian Police while yielding the ground for the creation of the State Police in line with global practice. From all indications, a unified police system has become outdated and hence, ineffective in tackling the nature of security challenges confronting Nigeria.
