LAGOS- The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) says reliegion should not be attributed to the mindless killings that has continued to ravage the country.
NIREC said those that wanted to use politics and ethnic divide to advance their political and economic pursuits were responsible for the human carnages in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN reports that NIREC made the assertion in a resolution co-signed by the President-General the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman NIREC, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar: the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Co-Chairman NIREC, Archbishop Daniel Okoh and the Executive Secretary, NIREC, Rev. Fr. Cornelius Afebu-Omonokhua.
The agency, saddled with the mandate of fostering religious harmony in the country, gave the communique after its 2023 second quarter meeting on Wednesday to dissuade perception on religion as the cause of the crisis.
It said religion, as being preached in the country, was to prune faithful characters and promote co-existence instead of killings.
The religious body condemned the act of some pastors and Imams turning worship centres to a campaign ground and the release of fake prophecies to fan their ego.
It said such sensational message tended to portray the 2023 election as a contest between Christianity and Islam.
The body noted with dismay, the resurgence of insecurity in the country with its attendant human casualties in various parts of the country after a lull during the electioneering.
It said that the subsisting killings in the country had nothing to do with reliegion but was being fueled by some criminals that tended to use politics and ethnicity to advance their stakes.
It decried the activities of journalists, bloggers and social media users that derived joy in pushing out fake news, saying that such tended to heat-up the polity.
It urged Journalists not to see their job as a profession to earn a living but a calling for national development.
According to the body, recent events have attested the faith of Nigerians to determine to live together and indivisible under one God.
“As a people, the ongoing war in Sudan should be of concern to us and work toward its end.
“God has entrusted the deliverance for Nigeria to all Nigerians that believe in Him.
“Our profound appreciation goes to the military and other security agencies for the effort in securing the country.
NIREC encourages you all to redouble efforts to totally dislodge the criminals anywhere in the country (NAN)
