Courtney McGrailThe president of the Nigerian bishops’ conference said his country’s government could defeat the Boko Haram Islamist militant group if it could muster the same political will it found to fight Ebola.
Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos suggested that the government could end the group’s attacks on Christians and civilians if it really wanted to.
“Since the Nigerian government is successfully fighting the Ebola disease, it can equally, with strong political will, fight the religious fundamentalism which threatens the very soul of Nigeria,” he said.
He argued that most Muslims in Nigeria did not support the activities of Boko Haram, which has bombed or torched dozens of churches and public spaces since 2009.
The archbishop said the Nigerian government “should be able to provide a level ground for harmonious coexistence and good relations” between such people and Christians.
“We want the Nigerian government to stop the activities of this military group, which continues to create mayhem, to create chaos and to anarchy in parts of Nigeria,” Archbishop Kaigama said.