CAN canvasses punishment for kidnappers

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday, decried the rate of kidnapping in the country, calling for a severe punishment for kidnappers to stem the tide.CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, noted that if kidnapping was not matched with commensurate punishment, the country might be in for serious problem worse than terrorism. Oritsejafor was reacting to the kidnapping of the Archbishop of Niger Delta Province of Anglican Communion of Nigeria, His Grace, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey, in Port-Harcourt, last weekend.Vanguard gathered that the kidnappers demanded for N250 milllion as ransom for the release of the Bishop, the demand the Church of Nigeria said it would not pay.Pastor Oritsejafor in a statement in Abuja, observed that the action or crime of forcefully taking away or holding somebody prisoner, usually for ransom, had become a showy display, a publicity stunt in ways that explained the serious insecurity in Nigeria.He said: “While activities of the kidnappers are awash with prominent Nigerians abducted, the manner of abduction, the location those taken forcefully were freed from and sometimes the cost of freedom, government seems incapable of dealing with the situation.“If the crime of kidnapping is not matched with equally harsh or severe punishments, Nigeria may be in for an even worse situation than she is with the terrorist activities.”In circumstances where kidnappers shoot and kill people before forcefully abducting the victims, Oritsejafor called on the Federal Government to treat kidnappers like armed robbers and terrorists by invoking laws that would stop crimes and criminality.However, he appealed to the kidnappers of the Archbishop to release him unconditionally and unharmed as a means of atoning for the sacrilege they had committed.The statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Kenny Ashaka, also, wished the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, farewell, as the latter retired from active pastoral service.The National Christian body congratulated former Prelate Makinde for his doggedness in the things of the Lord, while urging the New Methodist Prelate, the Most Rev. Samuel Uche, to strive to be a source of inspiration to Christians and CAN family.The statement said: “We wish that the great potentials and dynamism he is bringing into the office of the Prelate of the Methodist Church will rub off on the Church in Nigeria and all Christians.”Recently, Uche emerged as the administrative head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria during the 44 Special Conference and first Emergency Conference in Lagos.