THE President of Evangelical Church Winning All Worldwide (ECWA) and Head of Denominational Church Leaders on the Plateau, Rev. (Dr.) Stephen Baba Panya, has described the unprovoked killings in Bokkos Local Government Area as horrendous, genocidal and an ethnic cleansing.
This was contained in a press statement signed by him and made available to THE NIGERIA STANDARD in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Wednesday. He was reacting to the Christmas Eve killings that claimed the lives of over a hundred people.
Panya said, “The horrendous genocidal killings and destruction of property and other means of livelihood by very wicked, evil and criminal militias in over 20 villages of Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State, is reprehensible, ungodly, satanic, totally unacceptable and condemnable.
“As a church, we are pained that this attack was carried out against innocent and harmless Christians who were climaxing preparations to celebrate Christmas. Unfortunately, their joy was turned into pains, weeping and sorrow.
“It is very clear that some people have vowed never to allow peace reign on the Plateau.
“If not for reasons of genocide and ethnic cleansing, what could be the reason for such unprovoked, premeditated, simultaneous and well-coordinated attacks on Christmas eve against communities that are predominantly Christians. This speaks volume of the evil intentions of the attackers and their sponsors”, he asserted.
According to the cleric, , “The attacks were carried out on Sunday 24th December, 2023 between 8.30pm and 12 midnight, a period of almost four (4) hours without any form of response from the security agencies. The attackers, as was the case in previous attacks, had enough time to execute their evil plan.
“While commending the Plateau State Governor for his swift response, and doing all he could within his power in mobilising security agents as fast as he could to stem further carnage, these attacks have again raised a number of questions.
“How possible is it for such massive and well-coordinated attacks to take place across two local government areas without any iota of intelligence? Why did security agencies fail to respond swiftly despite several distress calls? Why the choice of Christmas eve for the attacks despite assurances from security agencies to provide adequate security during the yuletide?
“Why have these militias been allowed to continue doing their havoc despite the fact that the enclaves from where they launched these heinous attacks, like Mahanga and others, are common knowledge to the general populace, especially the security agencies?
“While it is not my intention to draw any inference, it is pertinent to stress that these are questions that can diminish public confidence in government’s ability to decisively address insecurity on the Plateau and other parts of the country. These questions must be sincerely answered if this tragedy is to be prevented in future”, he emphasised.
Panya, however, prayed to God to comfort the families of the bereaved and the entire church of God and bring healing and restoration to all the injured.
He appealed to relevant agencies of government and NGOs to provide relief materials to the affected communities saying, “I also appeal for adequate deployment of security forces to forestall any further attacks.
“These attacks once again, call for strategic intelligence, synergy, sincerity of purpose, commitment and the political will to address insecurity on the Plateau in particular and the country at large.
I urge the government and security agencies to track, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and sponsors of this heinous crime against humanity.
“The message must be unambiguous that no one is above the law. The only way to rekindle the hope of Nigerians and build public confidence in the government is to bring all the criminal elements to book.
“ I call on the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and his security outfits to put a stop to this unwarranted menace against the Church and other innocent Nigerians that have been held captive in their own motherland.
“As peace-loving Church organisations- COCIN, ECWA, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal and other churches in Nigeria alike, we have invested heavily in all positive aspects of the lives of millions of Nigerians, irrespective of their faith and tribes. It beats our imagination as to why we have been made to constantly face cold blooded deaths, been constantly subjected to IDP camps and our places of worship and communities outrightly uprooted by those we welcome to live with us”, he enthused.
