Nigerians must not let the activities of Boko Haram sow the seed of doubt and mistrust among themselves as allowing such will be detrimental to the peaceful co-existence of various religious and ethnic groups in the country, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said.
He said now is the time for leaders to close ranks and work for the stability and progress of the country.
Speaking in Sokoto at the opening of the new Catholic Secretariat, the Governor said the unity of Nigeria has been threatened by the emergence of Boko Haram, a tragedy which he said has deepened anxieties across the country.
According to him, all Nigerians must learn to put the nation and the survival of the citizenry first before any consideration. “Because if there’s no nation, there will be no space to practice our faiths,” he stated.
In his remarks at the occasion, elder statesman and former Defence Minister, General TY Danjuma, said the fight against Boko Haram is entering it’s most critical stages and Nigerians must brace up to wither the new challenge.
He said now that Nigeria is winning back its territories hitherto captured by Boko Haram, the insurgents have now devised a new strategy of disappearing into wider civilian population and setting up sleeping cells who wreck havoc on softer targets.
He said this new strategy has not only bolstered the intelligence capability of the terrorists, but has made them have superior surveillance techniques than Nigeria’s security agencies.
Danjuma said one of the biggest threats facing Nigeria today is inter-religious rivalry and intra-religious conflict, adding that once the situation is not curbed, the country will continue to suffer from its consequences.
He said all citizens must stand up against terror and insurgency. “When Boko Haram openly denounced all religionsn Muhammadu Buhari called them terrorists and urged all Muslims to consider them as such.
“Later, some who chose to remain on the fence realised the threat posed to all and reluctantly joined in condemning Boko Haram.
“Having sleeping cells among the generality of the population has made them have intelligence capability that is 100 percent better than that of our security agencies,” he said.
The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, and Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said religious harmony is the only panacea to a peaceful country.
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