Some Nigerians recently evacuated from the troubled Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday in Abuja cautioned their fellow country men and women against causing ethnic and religious crises in the country.
Some of the evacuees, who spoke at the Hajj Camp, Abuja, advised those who have grudges against their country to embrace peace.
Mr Nwaojini Seth, an indigene of Anambra, said “crisis is an evil wind that blows nobody any good’’.
“God forbid for us to see what we saw in Bangui, in Nigeria! Who likes a bad thing? The whole streets of Bangui were turned into red with blood. We do not wish that for Nigeria at all.
“From what I saw and experienced in Bangui, I can say that you may know the beginning of ethno-religious crisis but you can’t predict its end.
“The Balaka and the Seleka warring groups in CAR go from house to house killing one another and shooting indiscriminately.
“My advice to militants is that they should stop killing innocent souls; they should stop because nobody has the right to take the life of an innocent soul created by God.
“I pray that we don’t experience what we experienced in CAR in Nigeria. So let Boko Haram and the other militant groups stop killing innocent people in Nigeria.
“Let politicians stop threatening the government and peace-loving Nigerians because if there is crisis where do we run to,” he asked.
Another evacuee, Malam Musa Mairo from Gombe, said that it would be unimaginable that Nigerians would run to other countries as refugees because they would overwhelm the population of such countries.
“We should not even think it because we have the largest population in Africa. So, which country can accommodate a population of about 140 million people?”
Mairo said that most countries that were able to resolved their crises did so at a roundtable and “it is better that Nigerians should resolve their disagreements through dialogue.
Mr Raphael Udom, another evacuee from Imo, described the situation in CAR as “a very bad experience, which I don’t expect or wish for my country, Nigeria”.
“The problem is religious – Muslims and Christians – but adherents of the two religions worship the same God.
“So, let nobody hide under religion to commit crime against their fellow brothers or sisters.
“I know that we are having similar problem in some parts of the country, but I advise my fellow Nigerian brothers and sisters to give peace a chance,” he said.
Mrs Jamila Alimi from Kwara, noted that women and children were always the ones who suffer more during such crises.
She appealed to men to always consider the plights of vulnerable groups before igniting crisis.
Alimi said: “Crises are ignited by men and when it starts, the same men run away and abandon women and children to their fate.
“Only God knows how many women and children have been killed in CAR since the crisis started about a month ago.
“So, let us forget that some people are Hausa, Ibo or Yoruba and let us see ourselves, first as human beings, and as brothers and sisters from the same country,” she said.
NAN reports that a record of the identity of the evacuees shows that they came from different parts of the country.