Plateau killings: Stakeholders Seek Spiritual Solution

By Pam Moses

Following persistent attacks and and recent killings of innocent citizens in Plateau state, a Catholic Peace advocate agency, Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) has held an inter-faith prayer session of Muslim/Christian faiths heads of security agencies and community leaders.

The prayer session was held yesterday at DREP Secretariat, Kwang, Jos south local government area of Plateau state, with 158 persons in attendance.

The prayer meeting is coming hours, after nine persons were reportedly killed, with over 95 houses burnt in Barkinlad local government area of northern Plateau state.

Plateau State Deputy governor Prof Sonni Tyoden who was part of the prayer session said the event was timely, due to the increasing unrest occurring in the state and describes attacks and recent killings of a COCIN Pastor, his wife, children and fours others as unfortunate.

According to him, the insecurity challenges bedeviling Plateau citizens needs spiritual and divine intervention.

“The prayer session organized by (DREP) is timely, because, I feel, part of our problem as a people is spiritual, we must re-examine ourselves, particularly where we have wrong one another and ask God for true forgiveness.”

Tyoden call on Plateau citizens to cooperate with security operatives to enable them perform their duties of securing citizens effectively.

“The police and the joint taskforce are here with us, performing their jobs, but they can not restore the needed peace, until we the citizens agree to live as brothers and sisters, and also assist them with relevant information.”

Addressing participants at the prayer session earlier, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev Dr. Ignatius Kaigama admonished citizens in the state to live in peace.

Bishop Kaigama who is the immediate past President, Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria said peace can not be achieved without harmonious living.

“We have realized that guns, cutlasses, bows and arrows, spear, charms, can not bring peace.”

Bishop Kaigama stressed that “I believe that it is by coming together more often, discussing, reflecting and praying together; it is our prayers that Christians and Muslims will genuinely unite to fight social vices and use the values of our respective religions to promote integral development in our state.”

The Catholic cleric said the prayer session was the first of it kind “I can recall is the first in recent times , namely, that Christian ad Muslims are coming together to jointly ask God’s blessings as well as his forgiveness for the social, political, ethnic and religious conflict witnessed in our state.”

The commissioner of Police Plateau state Undie Adie, and the commander Operation safe Heaven Gen Austin Agundu who are in charge of internal security, among heads of security agencies attended the prayer meeting.

Others who attended the prayer session include traditional and community and opinion leaders across Plateau state.

DREP in it’s efforts in restoring permanent peace in Nigeria, and Plateau state in particular, has in the past three years been holding quarterly security meeting with stakeholders, particularly religious and community leaders in the state.

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Plateau killings: Stakeholders Seek Spiritual Solution