RECRIMINATIONS came the way of some Northern Muslim elders weekend over the insecurity and violence that has gripped the northern region of the country.
Making the blame was the Northern States Christians Elders' Forum, which accused the northern elders of shielding and supporting muslim terrorists and their sponsors.
In a communiqué issued in Kaduna and signed by its Chairman, Evangelist Mathew Owojaiye and Engr. Iliya Yusuf, Secretary at the end of the meeting of its states and national executives, the forum said that it would not have been possible for the Boko Haram terrorists to have continued to wreak so much destruction without the knowledge, support and financial backing of some of these elders.
It added, "the meeting noted the deterioration of security especially in the north eastern sector of Nigeria and now encroaching into the middle belt.
"Alarming still is the incessant and deliberate attacks, bombings and shootings of innocent Christians even at their places of worship, that is, churches in Kano, Plateau, Borno, Bauchi, Abuja and Gombe.
"The reason Christians do not retaliate is not because we are cowards but because that will be a sin. It is unfair to go and attack, kill or maim people that are innocent, that may not even know the attackers or may even hate what the attackers are doing. What offence did the worshippers in the churches commit against the sect?
"We had given the Federal Government of Nigeria time to retrain their security forces on how to tackle terrorism. Our patience is running out. We are hereby blaming the Federal Government for any woes visited on us."
The NOSCEF also called for the restructuring of Nigeria into six regions as a way of maintaining the unity of the country.
In advocating true federalism, the forum said "We are hereby calling for National Conference. We need to restructure Nigeria. We want the six geopolitical zones to become regions with a little alteration here and there according to the wishes of the people.
"Each zone will manage its resources and pay tax to the Federal Government as it was in 1960 and 63 constitutions. The Federal Government will take off its hands from education, agriculture, water resources, industries, mineral resources, research and technology, health, power generation, women affairs, youths and sports, works and housing.
"The Federal Government will be solely in charge of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Customs and Aviation."
The forum, while commending government on the building of Almajiri Primary Schools in the North, canvassed for similar gesture for Christian Mission Schools so that it (government) will not be seen as favouring Muslims over Christians.
It said "We Christians in the northern states welcome the idea of the Federal Government helping almajiri schools in the present set up. We view almajiri schools as Muslim mission schools. We Christians also have our mission schools. There is only one main difference. The Muslim almajiri schools teach only Islamic studies while the Christian mission schools teach Christian religious studies and include secular subjects like physics, chemistry, biology which schools in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq also teach.
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