By Ishaya Ibrahim
One day after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) commiserated with families and religious organisations, particularly the Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Church, whose members have been recently targeted and killed by terrorists, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed-doors with the leadership of the National Assembly.
Insecurity across the country has worsened recently leading to protests and call by the National Assembly last week for the sack of service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police.
While the Senate charged President Buhari to declare a national security emergency, the House of Representatives asked the President to sack the service chiefs over their poor handling of the security challenges.
The military chiefs, according to the lawmakers, had run out of ideas and overstayed their welcome as heads of the country’s security agencies.
On Monday, the president engaged the leadership of the National Assembly behind closed doors.
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, attended the meeting which started at 3:00 p.m. at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Though the agenda of the meeting remains unknown, sources said it may not be unconnected with last week’s resolution of the National Assembly on the current security situation in the country and the fate of the service chiefs.
The meeting is coming on the heels of a statement by the APC on Sunday which insisted that Boko Haram is a common enemy to all Nigerians, blind to religion, politics and tribe.
A statement by the party’s national publicity secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the terrorists were attempting to stoke religious sensitivities by pitching Christians and Muslims against one and other and urged Nigerians, particularly those in leadership positions not to fall for the bait.
The statement reads:
“Recently, public commentaries on the activities of Boko Haram and bandits, as well as other forms of criminality in the country is assuming a dangerous ethno-religious slant, unfortunately influenced by insensitive and selfish partisan narratives by shortsighted groups and individuals. This is a red flag that must be checked for our collective well-being.
“Understandably, the aftermath of an attack will trigger inflamed responses particularly from those affected. We however have a duty to rise above simplistic narratives and politically-tainted criticisms which are oftentimes misplaced and counterproductive.
“True to form, violent extremists and terrorists all over the world would adopt desperate tactics by selecting soft targets for their barbaric and opportunistic attacks. In Nigeria, these godless people are attempting to stoke religious sensitivities by pitching Christians and Muslims against one and other through their recent pattern of cowardly attacks. This demonstrates how debased and degraded Boko Haram and those who sponsor it have become.
“We must not fall for this divisive ploy. In our respective spaces, we should understand that these violent extremists are our common enemies, and are blind to religious and political affiliation and socio-economic status.
“Our leaders – religious, political, traditional and all others in positions of influence and authority, must now show leadership and temperance in their utterances and actions. Doing otherwise will be acting the scripts and playing into the hands of these fanatics seeking to divide us and pitch us against each other.
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“n 2015, followed by a reelection in 2019, Nigerians voted President Muhammadu Buhari to among others win the war against terrorism and generally secure the country. Despite the opportunistic and pocket of attacks on some soft targets, the President’s resolve and the APC-led government in degrading Boko Haram is not in doubt.
“Our armed forces are now better equipped with their welfare prioritised; previous insurgency-ravaged communities are being rehabilitated and resettled; gone are those days when attacks particularly on the country’s capital city of Abuja and other parts of the country were routine. Currently, no inch of Nigeria’s territory is under the control of Boko Haram; bandits, kidnappers and other criminal camps are being cleared with the criminals suffering heavy casualties on a daily basis.
“Finally, we once again deeply commiserate with families and religious organisations, particularly the Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Church whose members have been recently targeted and killed by the terrorists as well as of the places of worship attacked. We must now work collectively and continue to support and cooperate with the President Buhari government and our security services on the frontlines as they work to ensure the safe release of our abducted citizens and rid the remnant of these terrorists from our land.”