End SARS: Northern Christians send message to Buhari over looting of COVID-19 palliatives

The Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians, CNNC, on Wednesday, has urged the Federal Government to institute an inquiry into the looting of COVID-19 palliatives’ warehouses across the country.

The CNNC stated this at the end of its emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

A communiqué of the meeting signed by the National Secretary of the Congress, Daniel Kadzai, also expressed concern over the wave of violence that trailed the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters in Lekki, Lagos.

The group said the inquiry would unravel the immediate and remotes causes of the crisis.

It, however, commended the government for the efforts so far made to meet the demands of the protesters.

CNNC said, “Going by the recent happenings in the country in the past few days following the EndSARS protests, we believe matters raised by the Nigerian youth during the protests were cogent and simply products of bottled-up resentment in the hearts of most Nigerians due to the despicable neglect in the responsibility of successive governments.

“We, therefore, wish to firmly register dissatisfaction over how a protest that revealed so much of the plight of the Nigerian was hijacked by anarchists and enemies of Nigeria. Attempted were even made to import dangerous religious and ethnic sentiments to set Nigeria into unending crisis.

“Government should leave no stone unturned to address the root cause of why our beloved Nigerians are breaking into COVID-19 Warehouses, and even other places used to store equipment all over the country.

“It is also important to raise critical concern over the escalating violence affecting innocent people of Nigeria since the EndSARS protests began.

“So, we condemn in the strongest terms the killings of innocent citizens and all atrocities committed by those against the unity and progress Nigeria.

“The perpetrators must be brought to book. But we urge that justice be tempered with mercy, particularly in these complex circumstances.”

The Congress, nonetheless, lamented what it described as ‘the unusual silence by both Christian and Muslim leaders’ in the face of the violence and mass looting of both public and private assets in the country.

“We urge religious leaders to please speak up and speak out as the times demand, and that they do this now in order to reconcile the Nation.

“As we are aware, when religious leaders speak, our youths listen. The youths need their unequivocal support and counsel at this time, so that we can avoid further violence and bloodshed,” the statement read.