Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie

The claim by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the activities of Boko Haram, suspected herdsmen and ISIS were coordinated plans aimed at Islamizing Nigeria has been described as an open secret well beholden to Nigerians.

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Metropolitan See, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie stated this on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 in a statement titled “Nigeria under Attack” he issued in Lagos.

He said he supported the claim by the former President on the alleged of ‘Fulanisation and Islamisation’ of Nigeria under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said, “Obasanjo was pointing to an open secret and that there is a synergy between Boko Haram, Herdsmen and ISIS.

The Archbishop lamented the deplorable state of the country’s security situation, expressing dissatisfaction on the style of leadership of the President.

He cited the abduction of a former Minister of Finance, Chief Olu Falae in his farm in Ilado in Akure, Ekiti State capital by some armed men in 2015 with series of abduction of several individuals across the country by unidentified armed men, the gruesome attacks on farmlands and communities in different parts of the country by suspected herdsmen, especially, in the Middle Belt region of the country.

The Cardinal, in his statement, also recalled the warnings by a military veteran, General Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd.) of a purported ethnic cleansing going on in the Middle Belt, thereby, orchestrating a loss of faith in the government’s ability to deal with the situation, urging the people to take responsibility of their own security.

The Cardinal disagreed with the Federal Government’s claim to have “technically defeated” Boko Haram backing.

He stated, “Nigeria, in her vastness, is within the firm grips of kidnappers, armed robbers, herdsmen, bandits and insurgents.

“There is a wide abyss between government propaganda and the experience of the citizen. Despite government propaganda, Boko Haram, with frequent and convincing repetition, demonstrates that it has more firepower than the Nigerian Military.

The bishop urged the President to show some seriousness in his leadership.