The Chair of the European Union Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister, has revealed the encounter between the visiting European Union Parliamentarians with interlocutors regarding the issue of genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, McAllister said terrorists’ threats in Nigeria played a major role during their conversations and meetings with all their interlocutors.

He also said that what he learnt in Abuja was that terrorism in Nigeria was not driven solely by ideology, but by many factors which included poverty, youth unemployment, political marginalisation, communal conflicts, land resource competition, environmental stress such as desertification, amongst others.

McAllister further said that the delegation expected that all groups, all religions, and all vulnerable communities are best possibly being protected by the Nigerian authorities.

Earlier, McAllister said his delegation comprised of six Members of the European Parliament from different political groups and five different European Union member States.

He disclosed that in the course of their visit, the delegation had very informative and high-level meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, as well as the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Alieu Omar Touray.

The delegation, according to McAllister, also met with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and a representative of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The delegation, he further said, had exchange with the civil society organisations and ambassadors of European Union member states in Abuja.

Also speaking, a Member of the European Union Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and Co-Chair of Inter-Religious Dialogue, Zeljana Zovko, said her Committee had been working on persecution of Christians in Nigeria and the three resolutions that they have done and adopted by majority on the European Parliament, there were serious concerns for Nigeria and for the state authorities.

Zovko also said during the meetings, she inquired why the security and protection of the people were not implemented and why the perpetrators were not accountable for what they are doing, all the crimes that they had committed against Christians, Muslims or whoever.

She added that they must be accountable for their radical ideologies and that the discussion must be open in the public in Abuja and not only in the states.

Zovko further said the serious engagement that the European Parliament is expecting from the Nigerian authority is to establish serious security protection for the affected people and accountability for the perpetrators. (The Sun, but headline rejigged)