On Wednesday, President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) expressed his very troubled response to the death of Kafanchan Catholic Diocese priest John Cheitnum four days after he was kidnapped by assailants.
The President once more assured Nigerians that he is determined to fight terrorists, whom he labeled as “enemies of mankind,” in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The statement is titled ‘President Buhari condemns murder of a catholic priest in Kaduna, calls it heinous and despicable.’
On Friday, July 15, Cheitnum and another priest were kidnapped. Cheitnum was later discovered dead.
The Catholic diocese Kafanchan declared on Tuesday that Cheitnum was murdered the same night he was kidnapped and that his already-decomposing body was found on Tuesday.
Buhari remarked in response to the event that he was extremely troubled by the assassination of this esteemed religious man by outlaws who seem to be bent on sowing turmoil and unrest in the country.
He said that as security is one of the main problems of his campaign promises, the ongoing attacks on innocent people, especially religious figures, by gunmen, are a topic of significant worry for his administration.
“Let me reassure Nigerians that my commitment to this issue is as firm as ever. I have always made it a duty to regularly summon security chiefs to discuss these challenges and the way forward. I’m not allowing the security chiefs to rest unless and until we find a very effective solution to this disturbing security situation.”
The President declared that the security of every Nigerian remains his top concern, and he reassured Nigerians that he is resolved to defeat these foes of mankind with all the resources at his disposal.
He expressed his sympathies to Cheitnum’s family and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State.
