Christian leaders insist on designation of Boko Haram as FTO

There is an indication that Christian leaders in Nigeria have renewed their quest for the designation of Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation. Reacting to a fresh threat by the Islamic group to continue to attack and kill Christians in Northern Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria appears to have intensified its appeal to a reluctant US State Department to reconsider its position on whether Boko Haram should be declared an FTO or not. The President of CAN, Rev. Ayo Oritsejafor, had addressed an oversight hearing of the American House of Reps Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights on July 10, 2012, on the need to deal decisively with the group. Worried by the rising spate of terrorist attacks on Christians and churches in Northern Nigeria, as well as the failure of the Federal Government to effectively deal with the situation, Oritsejafor appealed to the US government to come to the aid of millions of Nigerian Christians, whose rights to exist are severely threatened by Boko Haram’s activities. In his statement, the CAN president warned the members of the sub-committee that the threat posed by Boko Haram might become a serious threat to the American homeland. “To an outside observer, it may appear as though Boko Haram is not a monolithic group; that it is fragmented and disorganised, but I am here today to give you the Nigerian perspective. Since its creation, the Boko Haram network has never hidden its agenda or intentions. has openly stated that they reject the Nigerian State and its Constitution and seek to impose Shari’ah Law. “Boko Haram is not only a northern problem, but a Nigerian problem with global implications. Nigeria is not a country divided by North and South, but a country divided between those who support freedom and equality in the eyes of the law, and those who promote persecution and violence as a means to an end. Plz Report any suspicious act or movement to the nearest Security body or police force.