All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday asked Nigerians to be circumspect in reacting to the recent activities of the Boko Haram sect, saying the insurgent group is scheming to stoke ethno-religious crisis in the country.
The party National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said in a statement that the recent “public commentaries on the activities of Boko Haram, bandits, and other criminal elements in the country are assuming dangerous ethno-religious slant, unfortunately influenced by insensitive and selfish partisan narratives by shortsighted groups and individuals.
The statement read: “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 another 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.
“In 2015, followed by re-election 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.”
Source: Vanguardngr
