The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has charged Nigerians to resist any form of religious incitement and also be wary of mischief makers and subversives whose objectives could be to worsen the difficult circumstances under which Nigerians live today.
NEF was reacting to the alarm raised by the Department of State Security (DSS) over plans to incite violence that would breach peaceful coexistence.
In a statement signed by its Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF noted that “Muslims and Christians have no reasons to fight each other.”
The statement read:“Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is concerned over disturbing comments with distinctly religious undertones which are causing anger and fear in the public domain.
“The Forum’s concerns have been compounded by published warnings from the Department of State Security (DSS) over attempts to cause breaches in security and peaceful co-existence through incitement in many parts of the country.
“The Forum invites attention to multiple pressures and stresses under which Nigerians of all faith live. It will be cruel and tragic if communities are set up against each other in the names of their faiths.
“There are no threats to any religion under current circumstances that would justify action which will threaten peace and harmonious co-existence in this country.
“If there are indeed reasons that could be exploited to engineer religious conflicts, the Forum demands that governments deal decisively with them.
“The Forum calls on Nigerians to be wary of mischief makers and subversives whose objectives could be to worsen the difficult circumstances under which Nigerians live today. Muslims and Christians have no reasons to fight each other.”
