The Anglican Bishop of Nnewi, Anambra State, Rt Rev Ndubisi Obi has wondered why the Federal Government should continue to pursue members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and her vigilante arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN) while bandits kidnap, herd pupils and students into forests at will for ransom.
Bishop Obi asked the question in a press briefing held at the Bishop’s Court.
The Cleric who spoken on national issues said that people at the corridors of power created more problems in the country rather than providing solutions to them.
According to him, the way the Federal Government deployed soldiers to Imo State to chase around members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its ESN while leaving bandits and armed herdsmen to ravage the North as well as other parts of the country, killing, maiming and kidnapping for ransom creates problem in the system.
“When you talk about agitation, what leads to that is when the government of the day is not sensitive to what the people are passing through. Instead of doing the right thing, they do the wrong one.
“So, the Church cannot but give advice on what government should do to stop what brings about the agitation.
“Just look at the way they are handling security issues in this country. I continue to ask myself why government should send the military to pursue the IPOB and its ESN in Imo State when bandits in the Northern Nigeria kidnap school children and students of higher institutions at will. Sometimes they will be more than 100 and are herded into the forest for ransom. And the bandits do these things and go scot-free but every effort is channeled towards the pursuit of agitators, ” the Bishop said.
Commenting on the issue of open grazing Bishop Obi posited that the Federal Government has the option of setting up cattle ranches at the Sambisa forest and other forests in many Northern States including Niger, Yobe, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa and Katsina. He said those ranches if established could be irrigated from the Rivers Niger and Benue.
He said with due sense of responsibility that if government could initiate the policy and execute it religiously as he had enunciated, the problem of farmers and herders clash and other security challenges would be a thing of the past.
The Bishop declared that if the Federal Government could lay oil pipelines from the South to the North and a railway line from Nigeria to Niger Republic “why can’t it set up the ranches in those forests?”
He said that the Church would continue to speak out against “I don’t know whether to call it stupidity or foolishness of the government.” The Bishop added that it was the actions and inactions of the government that had continued to fuel agitation for self-determination.
The Cleric also ceased the opportunity to announced that the 9th session of Diocese of Nnewi Anglican Communion synod, will kick off on September 2nd and will last for three days at St. James Church, Ichi, Ekwusigo Council Area.
The synod would host about 600 delegates while 137 churches are expected to participate in the programme.
