A group, Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) has cautioned against ethnic and religious sentiments to issues of national security, especially those that polarise Nigeria.
It rather urged Nigerians to see the issue of insecurity as a common enemy that deserves collective efforts to address.
The group, which briefed journalists in Abuja at the weekend, faulted media reports alleging terror sponsorship by an unidentified northern senator.
The assistant coordinator of CISA for North, Kabeer Salami, frowned at the unpatriotic act of some Nigerians in their quests to polarize the country and incite Nigerians against their fellow citizens for no good reasons.
The group said, “They use religion, regions, tribes and other sectional rhetoric consciously or unconsciously towards unwarranted ethno-religious conflicts.
“CISA is worried about the antics of some groups deploying subterfuge, in cahoot with some disgruntled elements, to set the country on fire, by stoking the embers of ethnic and religious sentiments.
“As a patriotic organization, we wish to advise the Presidency, the Senate, security services and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians not to succumb to the antics of the groups that promote fake news and hate speech which merely blind the mind, reinforce sentiments, divide and plunge the society into chaos; influence bad judgement that trigger extremism and induce mob attacks”.
The group further urged the government not to allow any group engaging in frivolities to distract them from attending to essential legislative and national matters.
CISA also called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute any group attempting to defame other Nigerians for ulterior motives as that could lead to ethno-religious crises.
“We wish to assert boldly that Nigeria is where it is today because citizens are quick to deploy either religious or ethnic sentiment to critical issues or events that affect our national unity and progress,” it said.
The group further urged citizens to in the interest of national development shun ethnic champions and pseudo religious leaders and unconditionally resolve to love one another and make Nigeria one indivisible nation.
“Citizens, also, must shun fraternizing with ethnic champions and pseudo religious leaders, bent on polarizing us. We cannot allow them to pitch us against one another, just as they are trying to do now by setting Northern Senators and the rest of their elite against the general public,” he said.
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