Christian Group Canvasses Courageous Leadership To End Terrorism

The Christian Health Awareness Initiative of Nigeria (CHAIN) has said honest and courageous leadership remains critical to ending terrorism and widespread insecurity across the country.

The organisation stated this during an engagement with about 150 victims of kidnapping and violent attacks drawn from the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, where survivors recounted painful experiences of abduction, killings and displacement.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of CHAIN, Joseph John Hayab, said Nigeria possesses the human and institutional capacity to defeat terrorism if leaders demonstrate sincerity, political will and sustained commitment in tackling the security crisis.

According to him, the country’s insecurity challenge has persisted not because Nigeria lacks the means to overcome it, but because practical and transparent leadership actions are urgently required.

Hayab said government must treat insecurity as a national emergency and move beyond routine assurances to decisive measures capable of restoring public confidence.

He noted that citizens in many affected communities had become exhausted by recurring kidnappings and killings, warning that violence was gradually becoming normalised.

“Our simple appeal is that government should bring to an end this evil of kidnapping and killing. Let the killing stop. We have what it takes to stop this. We are challenging leaders to have the will,” he said.

He added that many farmers were now afraid to return to their farmlands, worsening poverty and food insecurity in affected areas.

Hayab, however, urged citizens to support security agencies through intelligence sharing and lawful vigilance measures aimed at protecting communities.

Also speaking at the event, former United States military officer and missionary journalist, Antonio Graceffo, said Nigeria has the structures, manpower and social institutions needed to defeat terrorism.

Graceffo said the country possesses intelligent citizens, traditional institutions, churches, community networks and dedicated personnel that can be effectively mobilised to address insecurity.

“I think Nigeria definitely has the capacity to do this. You have intelligent people, dedicated people and structures in place. You can work together to solve this problem,” he said.

He, however, called on the international community to support Nigeria through partnerships and assistance, stressing that any lasting solution must remain Nigerian-led.

“The attacks are happening every single day and people are becoming numb to it. It is horrible that people can be killed and it becomes normal because it happened yesterday or the day before,” he said.

Some of the victims who attended the programme narrated harrowing experiences of captivity, ransom payments and emotional trauma suffered in the hands of abductors.