The Youth Wing Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN on Sunday warned that citizens may resort to carrying weapons in churches, mosques, while travelling and wherever they find the selves.
The National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, raised the fears in his speech titled: ‘Kidnapped RCCG members: Nigeria on the march to Golgotha‘, delivered at the just-concluded leadership retreat held in Abuja, and obtained by journalists on Sunday.
He was reacting to the kidnapping of a bus filled with Christians from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Kaduna Province 1 who were said to be going for a prayer work to Kafanchan.
According to him, the incidence of kidnapping had become a case too many and has left bitter tastes in the mouths of many persons in Nigeria.
Enwere wondered whether the abduction of RCCG members was another case of religious persecution, coming after the recent kidnapping of 39 Students of College of Forestry, Afaka close to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
The organisation therefore called on the regime of President Muhammad Buhari and security agencies to sit up and act now or never.
He said, “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 government on the pages of Newspapers. No responsible government will just sit or stand akimbo and watch the country slide in to anarchy.
“Buhari’s government and security agencies should sit up. 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 travelling and in some holy places.
“Our hearts bleeds that a busload 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.
“This has become a norm in our society where humans, on daily basis, could be whisked away by gunmen. As youths, we are disappointed that victims could be left with correspondence from the government without further actions. Nigeria is on its way to Golgotha and only divine intervention can stop it.
“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.’
“The government must rise now and take responsibility of the security challenges going on in the country. How could citizens be taken away just like that without a trace?
“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.”
