Ukpai flays FG’s plan to dialogue with Boko Haram

[MrVan]

By JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT— NOT a few Christians in the country have kicked against moves by the Federal Government to negotiate with Boko Haram members, describing the move as unhealthy.

National Chairman Solemn Assembly of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Rev Uma Ukpai, who spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, weekend, said  government should discourage criminality in every sense.

He said: "They are giving undue recognition to Boko Haram. When a criminal is giving a seat of honour, you are asking him to continue in his criminality and also inviting others to join in the criminality."

Calling on the Federal Government to take necessary steps to protect the country from the menace of the sect, he blamed the political class for the emergence of the sect.

He said: "Boko Haram and other related groups in the country are products of the culture of violence entrenched in our political system by politicians. Boko Haram came from the action of our political leaders, who hired thugs to chase their opponents. As long as our leaders continue to use thugs against one another, they will continue to create Boko Haram in the system."

He urged Muslims and Christians to unite to confront what he termed a faceless group parading as Boko Haram. "The most painful thing is that Boko Haram has no face, we don't know who Boko Haram is.  Christians and Muslims should come together for only in our unity can we defeat them."

Vanguard Nigeria