At a briefing, Tuesday night, after the Faith Revival Conference organised by the North-Central zone of the church, Pastor Kumuyi argued that the nation’s problem required dialogue.
He said: “Now in a whole country, we know that the problems are there. How do we solve the problems? Nobody just rises up to say he wants to destroy property and lives. There must be something that is the grievances of the people and then if there is an attack somewhere why the attack?
“It is when we begin to talk that we will know why the attack and where it is coming from, and it is then we might see that we are fighting over nothing and if at all we are fighting on something we may then realise that this approach is not going to give us what we are fighting for.”
Four persons were,yesterday, feared dead in Gwange area of Bornu State after gunmen invaded a house occupied by persons of Yoruba and Igbo extraction.
This came as the Regional office of MTN and nine telecommunication masts belonging to different companies along Baga road of Maiduguri metropolis, were attacked with explosive.
Meanwhile, a bomb suspected to have been targeted at a telecommunications mast, yesterday night, exploded in Bauchi town and injured a guard just as another was defused by the anti-bomb squad in Bauchi.
However, General Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, said there was an urgent need for Nigerians to sit down with a view to finding lasting solutions to the lingering problems of insecurity and other social vices confronting the country.
A neighbour of the four slain persons told newsmen that they heard a strange voice in the house, where some of the deceased were crying for help, but that the 9pm curfew prevented anyone from going to see what was happening.
He said it was only in the morning that news reached them from the house that four people were killed.
MTN attacked
In Baga road at the MTN regional office in West-End area, Vanguard gathered that the incident took place at about 2am, yesterday. It was gathered that the office that was set ablaze housed all the communication facilities of the front line GSM operator.
It will be recalled that earlier in the year, the Boko Haram sect, issued a statement that the telecommunication industry in Nigeria was one of their targets.
Also set ablaze were the telecommunication masts in Dala, Bulunkutu, Bayan Quarters, Gwange, Sulimanti, Bolori, Adam Kolo and Bulabulin wards of the metropolis.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that the Bulunkutu mast was burnt down by armed youths at about 8pm, Tuesday.
Confirming the incident, the JTF Spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, confirmed the burning of MTN Office and some masts in Maiduguri, but denied any killing in the state.
Sagir said: “I can only confirm to you that some telecommunication masts and MTN Regional office were set ablaze by suspected members of Boko Haram sect. But I am not aware of any killing in Gwange. Give me time; as soon as I get details I will communicate it to you.”
Eyewitness account
In Bauchi, an eyewitness said they heard a loud explosion and when they went there, they found that the metal door to the mast was damaged.
The eyewitness said: “There was fire near the scene of the explosion, but the air-conditioner and generating set inside the mast building are still working.”
A guard at the place, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no harm was done to the mast but that he was slightly injured. He said that he was treated and discharged at a hospital.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Hassan Auyo, who confirmed the incident, said he did not have the detail.
Security source
However, a top security source told Vanguard: “As far as we are concerned, the incident was a failed attempt because we have information about plans by hoodlums to attack some places.
“We have taken adequate security measures and have deployed soldiers, police and security personnel to guard every identified flash point to ensure that they do not get any loophole.
“The bomb attack targeted at the mast exploded outside the gate because the hoodlums dropped it outside.”
