IT IS MORALLY, POLITICALLY EMBARRASSING FOR NIGERIA TO BE SEEN ENTERING INTO DEALS WITH TERRORISTS – COCIN PRESIDENT

Our reporter

“It remains a grave moral and political embarrassment for a sovereign nation to be seen entering into deals or informal arrangements with bandits and terrorists, thereby legitimizing criminality and undermining the rule of law.”

Above were the words of Rev. Dr Amos Musa Mohzo, the President of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) at the opening of the ongoing 108th General Church Council meeting of the church in Jos.

Dr. Mohzo added “deep-seated and dangerous ideology” appears to be entrenched in parts of the nation’s political landscape, driven by tribalism and religious sentiments, which according to him, has “severely weakened” the nation’s capacity for objective “reasoning, national cohesion, and moral progress.”

The cleric said that COCIN as a direct victim of insecurity is worried that the situation has crippled the nation’s potential for growth and development.

He said, “the growing insecurity across Nigeria has disrupted agricultural production, hindered education, and displaced millions from their homes.”

Dr. Mohzo decried the situation where some local communities have lost faith in government intervention, hence they have been forced to negotiate their survival describing the scenario as “both unacceptable and unsustainable.”

He warned that if the trend continues, it will amount to “nothing less than a national confession of failure.”

While urging the government to take action against the perpetrators, Dr. Mohzo tasked the Federal Government to rise to its constitutional responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizens.

“We cannot surrender our collective destiny to bandits, insurgents, and criminal networks who hold communities hostage and challenge the sovereignty of the state, causing genocidal mass destruction.

“We therefore, call upon all elected leaders, security agencies, and traditional rulers to recommit themselves to the sacred duty of protecting lives and ensuring justice. Silence and inaction in the face of injustice only embolden evil.

“We equally urge community leaders and opinion shapers to speak out boldly against the ongoing atrocities and the annihilation of communities.

“This is not time for debate over definitions or labels; whether one calls it genocide or not, the grim reality is that entire villages are being wiped out, families exterminated, and survivors left traumatized and destitute.

“This is the time for truth, moral courage, and decisive leadership. Our nation stands at a critical juncture where complacency is no longer an option.

“Nigeria must reclaim its moral and constitutional integrity by confronting the forces of evil that threatens its unity and future.

“Let every institution, the Church, the Government and all citizens of goodwill, work together in defence of life, justice, and peace, so that our silence today does not become our shame tomorrow,” he stressed.

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