The National President of the Nigeria Baptist Convention, Dr. Israel Akanji wants government to urgently do something to curtail the problem of banditry especially considering the fact that activities connected to the 2023 general election will soon be commencing.
He stated while addressing journalists at Inisa, Odo Otin Local Government area of Osun State.
Dr. Akanji said since political campaigns and elections ordinarily increase activities, spending and money in circulation, the bandits might take advantage in order to extort innocent Nigerians.
He said out of the 121 students of Bethel High school Kaduna state kidnapped over a week ago, only one of them had been released because he was sick and they did not want him to die in their custody, while the bandits insisted on collecting huge amounts of money before they could release the students.
In an emotion-laden voice, the Baptist Convention National president said, the church had been providing education in Nigeria since 1855 and asked whether kidnappers attacking on one such schools a good way to pay the mission back.
Speaking on moral decadence and increased wave of criminality in Nigeria, the cleric pointed our that the failure of the home as result of laxity of parents as well as the negative implications of technology advancement were majorly responsible.
He explained that many parents under the guise of pursuit of means of livelihood had abandoned their roles to the churches, schools, television and the social media, saying all of those things cannot replace the effect of present parents in the home in the lives of children.
Adenitan Akinola
