Benue Killings: I Am Ready to Quit If President Buhari is Complicit

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has not departed from the commitment and promise he made to religious leaders to be fair and just to all Nigerians regardless of religious faith and belief.

The vice president made this known in his speech on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi.

Osibanjo, while absolving the president of complicity in the perennial killings of Christians perpetrated by herdsmen in Benue State, said as a Christian, he will not hesitated to quit his position if truly there was an agenda of ethnic and religious cleansing

According to Osinbajo, "I am also not a politician. As a matter of fact, I'm also a priest and I'm a Christian, a born again Christian. Because I'm a born again Christian, my destiny is not determined by any man but by God who I serve. Let me assure you that under no circumstance, whatsoever will I give up my faith or refuse to stand up for my faith. You can take that to the bank. Even the position that I currently occupy, I did not ask for it and I'm prepared to leave it at a short notice. It doesn't mean anything. I became a born again Christian after I became a professor of the law of evidence, a professor of proof. 

“But when the Lord Jesus Christ met me, He persuaded me by showing me clearly that there is such a thing as the evidence of faith that are not seen. It is because of the evidence of things that are not seen, it is because you can make something out of nothing that I stand here today as Vice President. How possible can anyone say that the killing of women and children doesn't matter because he is vice president or because he is president? How is that possible? Certainly, it cannot be for a person who is a born again. A renewed mind will know that there is justice, there is consequence even if there is no justice here on earth."

He said the federal government has marshaled out plans for the state that would bring reliefs to the victims of the crises

According to him, "The first issue of course is one of security and that is why we have definitely now beefed up security and I'm sure if you heard some of the comments that were made and especially the governor, you would notice that a lot has been done with respect to security especially in the past couple of weeks, and we must continue to ensure that security is first priority; second issue of course is to ensure that those in IDP camps return to their homes. Many of their homes have been destroyed, including farmlands too."

He said the crisis is a major problem that did not start with the present government and must be studied carefully before any suggestion of an agenda.

Earlier at the meeting, while speaking, Catholic Bishop of Gboko Diocese, William Avenya, alleged that there are attempt to islamism the country.

He called on the vice president to stand up for Christians who are the worst hit over the killings.

"Vice President, you are a Christian. When you once met us, we spoke to you at Gwarimpa. We called you friend, you called us friend. When Buhari came to campaign and request of us to appeal to our people to vote for him, he pointed at you and said "here is a Christian, my Vice President, here is one of our sons...

Akume was with you, another Christian; Audu Ogbeh, another Christian was there. How can he turn this country into an Islamic territory? The point I'm trying to make is that a day is going to come when you as Vice President, the injustices in our land, especially those perpetrated on smaller tribes that have no one to fight for them; when the issues and the records are raised, you too will bear the brunt of that problem. So, as a Christian, exonerate yourself from this situation...

I plead with you to be a Christian and a committed Christian, somebody who understands the law and one who speaks for justice. This is the way to conciliation and peace in our land. Let us stop this political thing that means practically nothing. Let us speak the truth. We thank you for coming. At least we are telling you face to face. I hope you hear us and I hope you will not diplomatize or politicize and swing these thing?” He asked.

He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for the deployment of combined special security forces to contain the attacks on Benue communities by militia herdsmen, expressing the hope that the visit of the vice president would restore peace in the state.