As part of steps to address Nigeria’s security issues, Johnson Suleman, senior pastor of Omega Fire Ministries International, has urged the Federal Government to outlaw open grazing nationwide and step up efforts to find and prosecute terrorist sponsors.
Speaking at a church service, Suleman contended that unless authorities target those who fund criminal organizations and enact more robust laws meant to stop violence nationwide, insecurity would continue.
The cleric began by outlining what he called four crucial suggestions for addressing insecurity, starting with the prohibition of open grazing.
“Ban open grazing. Ranch your cattles. If you want to train your cattle, get a place and train them. Don’t move them about. Cattle business is private business. It’s not government business.”
“Go after the sponsors. Who empowered them? Go after the sponsors.”
“2014, when these men were brought into the country, they came with their children. Our military has taken all of them out. The people you are facing now are the children that were six years old in 2014, who have now grown to be 21, to be 19.”
“This is not the time for politics. Leave every political meeting now and go after these people. Forget all the meetings.”
“If you say that it didn’t start with you, you met insecurity, you are admitting that you can’t fix it. Leave. Let somebody else come.”
“When it comes to military, Nigerian military, they are one of the best.”
“Our military, one of the best. Our police, one of the best.”
“But how do you continue when a military man catches a terrorist and gets a phone call? You are demoralizing them,” Suleman said.
The government must move beyond mere rhetoric and take decisive action. Talking about the threat without actio n only emboldens the terrorists and their supporters, many of whom are embedded within the system itself.
If the authorities continue to reveal plans without acting promptly, crucial information will inevitably reach the kidnappers and other malicious actors, putting innocent lives at greater risk. It is high time for the government to stop hesitating, to identify and eliminate these threats proactively, and to strike first rather than waiting for disaster to strike. Only through firm and immediate action can genuine security be restored and peace reclaimed.
