Don’t Politicise Benue, Rivers, Kaduna Killings, Osinbajo Begs Nigerians

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on Nigerians not to politcise the recent killings in some parts of the country. Recall that the country witnessed mass killings in Kaduna, Benue and Rivers states in recent weeks. Osinbajo spoke on Sunday at an inter-denominational church service to mark the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

According to him, politicising the killings will aggravate the matter, arguing that one of the reasons why the Boko Haram menace festered was because of politicisation of the insurgency. “We recognise that as dangerous and deadly, as heartless as these killings are. It is also dangerous to allow politics to play a part and to sometimes, as they say, pour petrol into already burning fire,” Osinbajo said.

“We must not permit the politicisation of this tragedy. One of the reasons why, for years, Boko Haram thrived, was because of the politicisation of the insurgency. “There were those who were planning to benefit politically from the tragedy and they painted the opposition then as the perpetrator.”

He added that, “we have seen some today who want to benefit politically. The killing of women and children in Adamawa, Benue, Jos and several other places, stoking the embers of ethnicity and religion.

“By their hate speeches, they want to fix the criminal acts of a few individuals on the whole tribe and a whole people and will want to create religious crisis if we allow. “Our obligation is to stop them from playing dangerous politics that could threaten our unity and stability, just as we continue to enforce the peace in the troubled area.”