BENIN CITY – The Secretary to Edo State Local Government Service Commission, Rev. Patrick Esamah has condemned last Sunday’s sectarian violence in Jos, the Plateau State capital, even as he appealed to Christians in the country, particularly those in the North to remain calm.

Reacting to the fresh sectarian violence in Jos, in a chat with The NIGERIAN OBSERVER in Benin City, Rev. Esamah urged those affected in the crisis not to think of vengeance by taking the laws into their hands, adding that the perpetrators of the mayhem are mis-guided people who are just hiding under the guise of religion to achieve their selfish political motives.

Esamah who is also the Senior Pastor of the Church of God Mission (Model Parish), Afuze, remarked that those carrying out the killings are being used as instrument in the hands of the devil to shed the blood of their fellow human beings, stressing that both Christian and Islamic religious preaches peace.

“Those carrying out these killings are misguided. They are not doing it for God. They are being used by Satan to cause confusion, they are instruments of the devil. They are not representing God at all, because God is a God of peace and love”, he said.

Rev. Esamah said, “those who are perpetrating these crisis have other premodial sentiments. They are only using religion as a cover up. The Bible is a book of peace and the Quo’ran is a book of peace and anybody taking vengeance is also committing another atrocity.”

The cleric therefore called for the intervention of government at all levels, non-governmental organsations, civil societies and students bodies, to find a lasting solution to incessant problems of sectarian violence in the country, noting that all hands must be on deck to bring to book the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

While commending the effort of acting President, Goodluck Jonathan in deploring security agents to the affected villages, Esamah called on the federal government to set up a high powered commission of enquiry to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis, stressing that the activities and findings of the commission which must comprise of knowledgable Christians and Muslims, should be made open.