‘Kidnapping Of RCCG Members Has Made Self-defense Inevitable’
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Youth Wing, on Sunday, said the recent kidnapping of eight members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, in Kaduna state, has made self-defense by the people inevitable.
The RCCG church members were reportedly on their way to Kafanchan in Jema’a Local Government Area for evangelism when the armed kidnappers struck.
However, the Federal Government has come under attack for the seeming collapse of Nigeria’s security architecture and the delay in flushing out bandits and criminals terrorising citizens in parts of the country.
Speaking at the Christian body’s leadership retreat in Abuja, the National Chairman of CAN’s Youth Wing (YOWICAN), Mr. Belusochukwu Enwere, lamented the kidnapping of the RCCG members.
He said the body would opt for self-defense when its members are traveling, and in holy places, if the government and the security agencies do not rise up to the responsibility of protecting lives and property in the country.
“Our heart bleeds that a bus-load of Christians from RCCG from Kaduna Province 1 going for a prayer work to Kafanchan was abducted on their way. The incident of kidnapping is a case too many and has left bitter tastes in our mouths.
“We challenge the government, we challenge the security agencies to act now or never. The protection of lives and properties of the common man is their primary responsibility. “This anti-human behaviour cannot be corrected by mere condemnation by the government on the pages of newspapers. “If the situation does not improve, YOWICAN fears that self defence may be inevitable as Nigerian citizens may be forced to arm themselves in churches, mosques, while traveling and in some holy places.”
He warned that Nigeria was sliding into anarchy and only divine intervention could save it. Enwere, who described the daily abduction of citizens by gunmen as the ‘new trend’ in the country, noted that violent revolution would be inevitable, if peaceful revolution became impossible.
According to him, the trend of insecurity across the country was disheartening.
He said, “For some time now, kidnapping has become the new trend in our society. Our students in Kastina, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna and other parts of the country were kidnapped. And now abduction of church members. This is disheartening indeed. “This has become a norm in our society where humans on a daily basis could be whisked away by gunmen.
“As youths, we are disappointed that victims could be left with correspondence from the government without any further actions. Nigeria is on its way to Golgotha and only divine intervention can stop it.
“And no responsible government will just sit or stand akimbo and watch the country slide into anarchy. Buhari’s government and security agencies should sit up.
“We must not forget in a hurry, John F. Kennedy, who, in 1962, said that, ‘Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable’.”
