The Federal Government of Nigeria has warned terror and criminal gangs that enough is enough as it rallied Christian and Muslim leaders, traditional rulers and community leaders against banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes threatening Nigeria.
The warning was dropped by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s message to members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, saying the battle against insecurity must involve all stakeholders.
During the NIREC meeting at the Barcelona Hotel, Abuja, Akume said Nigerians had lost loved ones, while fear had forced some parents to keep their children away from schools and markets.
He said the government would not relent in its efforts to protect Nigerians’ lives, livelihoods and dignity.
The SGF said the Armed Forces, police and other security agencies were intensifying operations to reclaim communities from non-state actors and criminals, while the government was strengthening intelligence gathering, information sharing and rapid response mechanisms.
He added that security was also being reinforced around vulnerable locations, including churches, mosques, schools and markets.
Quoting President Tinubu, Akume said, “This government will not relent until every Nigerian can live, work, travel, and dream in safety.”
But the SGF said government efforts alone could not end the security crisis, urging religious and community leaders to take a more active role in confronting violence and the forces of division.
“When leaders of faith, Christianity and Islam, traditional and community leaders speak with one voice, it reverberates across Nigeria, effectively countering the narrative of division,” he said.
Akume urged Christians and Muslims to jointly condemn the activities of bandits and terrorists, saying their actions violated the values of both faiths.
“We must stand together today saying: enough is enough,” he declared.
The SGF also warned against attempts to exploit religion and ethnicity during the forthcoming electioneering campaign.
He charged community and religious leaders to intervene whenever politicians attempted to inflame divisions, insisting that political contests must be conducted through democratic means.
“Politics belongs in the ballot, not at the altar or mosque,” Akume said.
He urged religious leaders to prevent political thugs from taking sanctuary in places of worship and encouraged joint Christian-Muslim prayers and interfaith initiatives for peace.
Looking ahead to the elections, Akume said NIREC would convene state-level forums before the end of the year, bringing together police commanders, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and religious representatives.
The forums, he said, would identify potential flashpoints and secure commitments to peaceful elections.
He also tasked NIREC with mobilising youth clubs and women’s groups through churches and mosques as peace advocates, while supporting “peace caravans” to carry messages of unity to communities.
Akume also called for immediate action to counter social media misinformation targeting religious groups.
On security coordination, the SGF proposed deeper cooperation between NIREC and security agencies through liaison desks at strategic locations to enable real-time sharing of threat information.
He said insecurity was also an economic challenge, stressing that communities could not develop when fear kept people from safely going to schools, markets and workplaces.
“No community can develop when fear stalks its streets,” he said.
Akume commended the recent initiative by the Muslim World League and NIREC, under which more than 50 Muslim and Christian leaders signed a peace accord in August to build social harmony.
He said the federal government would support follow-up workshops in key geopolitical zones to implement commitments arising from the initiative.
The SGF urged NIREC members to renew their commitment to national stability, saying Nigeria’s spirit of resilience and unity remained strong despite the challenges confronting the country.
