The Nigerian cleric urged the government to compensate victims of insurgents’ attacks.
The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Felix Omobude, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to apply caution in granting amnesty to the Boko Haram sect.
Mr. Omobude’s advice is contained in a press statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Benin.
He said “in as much as the PFN recognises Federal Government’s right in granting amnesty to any group or individuals, it should not send out a wrong signal of encouraging criminality.”
He, however, cautioned against creating the impression in the international community that Nigeria is a lawless country.
Mr. Omobude said that rather than emphasise on granting amnesty to the Boko Haram members’ ” government should be more concerned with ways of compensating victims of the Boko Haram insurgency.”
He said that while no amount of money could bring back the dead, all victims of Boko Haram should be adequately compensated and comforted in every way possible.
“The victims and their families deserve adequate compensation to mitigate their grief and to demonstrate that government also cares about them,” he said.
Mr. Omobude also appealed to members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to stop further hostilities in the Niger Delta and give peace a chance.
He called on MEND leadership to engage the Federal Government in constructive dialogue to straighten out issues that they were still agitated about.
He reiterated that the PFN believed in peace as a condition necessary for national security, growth and development.
The cleric therefore called on Christians in the country irrespective of their denominations to pray for peace and good governance in all tiers of government.
(NAN)
