.take Trump's threat as wake up call, it demands
By Our Reporter 
Human rights group, Centre for Public Accountability (CPA), has called on the Federal Government to intensify effort in improving the security architecture of the country, urging it to take the threat issued by the American President Donald Trump as wake up call.
CPA, in collaboration with the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CCSO), equally called on the United States government to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and work with the country through diplomacy, intelligence-sharing, and development partnerships and not through threats of military force.
The rights group made the call at a press conference, which held on Monday at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, and addressed by its spokesperson, Comrade Declan Ihekiare, stating that though insecurity persists in the country, but quickly rejected any attempt to use religion to divide the country as claimed by the America president that the menace was a genocide against the Christians.
Ihekiare said the CPA rejected any foreign threat to the nation's sovereignty as well as the narratives designed to weaken the country's collective resolve, affirming that Nigeria’s security challenges, though grave, were surmountable "with sustained reforms, responsible leadership, and strong citizen cooperation."
He declared pointedly that it was unfair, misleading, and politically motivated for anyone to suggest that the ongoing killings across the country began recently or that they were the result of negligence by the current administration.
"We reject any foreign threat to our sovereignty.We reject narratives designed to weaken our collective resolve.
"We affirm that Nigeria’s security challenges, though grave, are surmountable, and we remain confident that with sustained reforms, responsible leadership, and strong citizen cooperation, our nation will rise out of this crisis stronger than ever.
"It is, therefore, unfair, misleading, and politically motivated for anyone — foreign or local — to suggest that the ongoing killings across the country began recently or that they are the result of negligence by the current administration," Ihekiare stated.
"We categorically reject the divisive and inflammatory claim that the insecurity ravaging parts of the country is exclusively targeted at Nigeria’s Christian population. Such narratives are dangerous, simplistic, and deliberately engineered to inflame religious tensions," he added.
Speaking further, Ihekiare, while noting that those behind terrorism and insurgency and their sponsors were intentionally attacking certain Christian-dominated communities in certain regions, not for religious sake, said their aim was to manipulate emotions, fuel sectarian suspicion, and fracture national unity.
While acknowledging the progress made so far by the Federal Government on confronting insecurity in the country, he charged it to intensify efforts in identifying, pursuing, and apprehending the masterminds of the menace, including financiers, informants, collaborators, and foreign enablers.
Besides, the group spokesperson equally demanded for thorough investigations into the economic, political, and external interests benefiting from the prolonged insecurity, just as he also urged for strengthening of community-based intelligence systems, empowering traditional institutions, and improving local policing frameworks, among others.
"While we acknowledge the progress made so far, we also challenge the Nigerian government to intensify efforts in:
"Identifying, pursuing, and apprehending the masterminds of insecurity — including financiers, informants, collaborators, and foreign enablers.
"Conducting thorough investigations into the economic, political, and external interests benefiting from the prolonged insecurity.
"Strengthening community-based intelligence systems, empowering traditional institutions, and improving local policing frameworks.
"Accelerating judicial processes so that terrorists and bandits do not return to society through loopholes or weak prosecution," Ihekiare said.
"Nigeria must demonstrate that no individual, group, or external actor is too powerful to face justice," he added.
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