By Ummi Ismaeel, Minna
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to intensify efforts against armed bandits in Nigeria.
The state Chairman of CAN, Rev. Matthias Echioda, made the appeal against the backdrop of recent abduction of a Shiyona Baptist Church Pastor, Rev. Yohanna Gyang Bitrus, from his house at Ugwan Saye, Yakila community in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Rev. Bitrus had retired for the day and was with his family when the armed men suspected to be bandits came knocking at about 1:30am last Thursday. The bandits were said to be demanding N50 million ransome.
Narrating how the pastor was whisked away by his abductors, he said: “As he opened the door because they had deceived him to believe that they were his guests and in spiritual need, he opened the door only to discovered that they were with guns and they didn’t allow him to go back to his house and took him away.
“The armed men also asked him for his handset and they went and picked it from where he had kept it and that was all”.
Echioda argued that mere words from the Presidency without being backed actions has not yielded desired results in ending kidnapping, insisting that efforts should be made to flush out the armed bandits and other criminals from forest reserves.
“These armed bandits must have passed through some roads in going about their nefarious activities; carrying sophisticated weapons unchallenged. And this brings about my question, if Nigerian security forces are really alive to their responsibilities?
“Most of the time we hear the President has warned armed bandits or that, always all sorts of grammar, but it goes beyond that. We elected government to protect us and our properties but you will agree with me that Nigerians are not getting these basic things”, he said.
The CAN chairman therefore appealed to the federal and state government to be alive to its responsibilities by being more active in checking kidnappings in Niger State as the criminals seem to have diverted their targets on the clerics.
