Nigeria belongs to all – Makinde

Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde, yesterday, joined the league of eminent Nigerians who are displeased by the recent multiple bomb blasts in Kano, which killed 15 innocent civilians.

Makinde, in a statement by the church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, said the sustained acts of terror being carried out against innocent people, especially Christians is “barbaric, evil and is the utmost disregard for humanity.”

He said: “Too many lives have been lost to these dastardly acts of terrorism and the perpetrators of these coordinated and sophisticated attacks obviously do not have any regard for the sanctity of human life.

“It becomes more troubling when one realises that they have continued to target predominantly Christian areas such as the Sabon Gari district, dominated by ethnic Igbos from the South-East who are Christians.

“The nature of these attacks underscore the resolve of this group, which to me is nothing but to make life unbearable for those of the Christian faith and non-indigenes, who are of other extractions.

“This is, however, impossible because Nigeria belongs to all of us. Nobody under any guise has the right to trample on the right to freedom of any other citizen of this country as enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution.

“This same place was attacked in March leaving about 25 people dead and here we are mourning another 20 innocent lives four months after.

“I am bewildered at the fact that it has been four years that this insurgency began and yet no one is in jail for participating in or masterminding these nefarious acts.”

It is on this note that I call on governments at all levels, i.e. Federal, State and Local, to remember the oaths they swore to which is to protect all citizens of this country and their properties in respective of their faith, religious allegiance and affiliations as long as it is practised within the ambits of the laws of the land, which for me is, the root of the problem.

“It is not enough to come out and condemn these acts of terror on the pages of newspapers and local and international media. This is the time to act decisively and bring the perpetrators to book. Justice must be served and that is the only way to ensure that the blood of these innocent Nigerians has not been completely wasted.