President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the terrorist killing of Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government area of Adamawa, describing it as cruel, inhuman and deliberately provocative.
The president stated this in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr Buhari regretted that the terrorists killed the religious leader while giving signals of a willingness to set him free by releasing him to third parties.
He consoled the Christian community all over Nigeria, the government and people of Adamawa as well as the Bishop’s family over the sad loss of the man of God.
He said terrorists would continue to pay a heavy price for their actions and “comprehensively be defeated by our determined armed forces”.
The president urged nations of the world to end all support provided to the Boko Haram and Islamic States in West Africa (ISWA) terrorist groups whose only goal was to sow death, violence and destruction in the sub-region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ahmad Salkida, a journalist with years of experience reporting the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents, in a series of tweets said Mr Andimi was killed on Monday.
“To break some news items can traumatize. I’m battling with one of such. Reverend Andimi, abducted by #BokoHaram was executed yesterday,” Mr Salkida tweeted.
Late Mr Andimi was abducted in January when the insurgents attacked his village.