The Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) has carpeted the statement by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar,
wherein he was quoted to have said that “It is a lie to say Christians are
being persecuted in Nigeria.”
CAN had backed the inclusion of
Nigeria in United States’ list of nations where religious intolerance was going
on.
Kwamkur Samuel, CAN National
Director of Legal and Public Affairs, in a statement on Saturday, said it would
have been better if the Sultan had remained quiet the way he did when those
killings were taking place.
Recalling the several hundreds of
innocent people whose lives were cut short by the Fulani herdsmen in Southern
Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, and Taraba state, CAN called it an insult for
anyone to be claiming that the unprecedented persecution which victims were
well known did not occur.
It said: “It is an act of
disrespect to the dead. If those who were responsible for the genocide in the
Middle belt of the country were Fulani atheists “whose main interest is to
protect their cattle”, what stopped him from condemning the unprecedented
genocide? By the way, if Fulani atheists took it upon themselves to be killing
Christians the way they did in Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, will it still
not be called Christian persecution? Do the Fulani atheists have the right to
be killing people the way they did and are still doing in some parts of the
states?
“We are happy that the Sultan did
not fault our claim that there was unprecedented killings in those areas may be
the security agencies would have helped us to unmask the culprits and their
religion if they had not appeared powerless while the killings lasted. It is
reprehensible that to date, those who killed our brothers and sisters after
raping and maiming them for weeks are still at large as if they were spirits.
“On the observation made by His
eminence that if there have been cases of Christian persecution in the country
we would have raised it at the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where
the leadership of both religions meet, we wonder why the Sultan too could not
come to NIREC to fault our position instead of using the public forum. The
Sultan should not pretend as if he was unaware of several times we had gone to
President Muhammadu Buhari to complain about systematic and deliberate killings
of our brothers and sisters and the need for the killers to be brought to book
and the killings stopped to no avail
“The fact that we are meeting at
NIREC does not mean that all is well. We believe that having dialogues with our
Muslim counterparts can reduce the tension in the land if there is sincerity.
As long as a highly placed traditional ruler who is also the head of the
Muslims in the country is denying the obvious then we are not surprised that
other Muslim groups talk in the same vein.
“The government to whom we had
complained about the plight of our people in the hands of overzealous Muslims
who said they were fighting Jihad was not convincing enough to show us that the
action was not deliberate. We as well complained about lopsided appointments,
especially the security chiefs which has not been addressed till today.
“Going the memory lane, five
young men were arrested, prosecuted and convicted in Yola for killing a Fulani
herdsboy but till today, none of the herdsmen killers has been apprehended.
Those arrested for turning the Southern Kaduna to a graveyard were later
released while those who killed two Christian women in Kano and Kubwa are still
at large, yet the Sultan has joined MURIC in faulting CAN and the US government
that Christians were being persecuted.
“Thank God, it wasn’t the Fulani
atheists and Fulani Christians who constitute 98 per cent of the Security
council and those who are presiding over most of the security agencies and the
paramilitary agencies. Was it Fulani atheists that kidnapped Leah Sharibu and
refused to release her because she professed Christian faith? Why did the
government negotiate the release of the rest Muslim girls kidnapped and left
Leah back because of her religion? Two years after the kidnapping, she has not
been rescued by the government! Is that not religious persecution?
“Is it the atheists that are
denying Christians the Certificates of Occupancy in the core-North states to
build their churches? Are they the ones who pulled down churches in Jigawa
State a few years ago? Are they the ones who would not allow the Christian
Religion to be taught in public schools in the North? Are they the ones who are
expelling Christian corps from the NYSC camp because they didn’t want to wear
trousers according to their religious obligations where hijab is allowed?
“According to a highly respected
organisation, the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), a British non-profit
organization run by a member of the British House of Lords, Baroness Cox, not
fewer than 1000 Christians were killed by the Fulani herdsmen this year alone
while about 6000 have been killed since 2012 and 12,000 displaced. Yet none of
those responsible for these dastardly attacks have been brought to book. If
these are not persecution, what are they?
“President Muhammadu Buhari
through one of his spokesmen even advised the victims to let go of their lands
in order for them to be alive. He also advised against retaliation but instead
to accommodate their killers yet the Sultan, MURIC and those who close their
eyes to the evils are calling us liars! Just a week ago, a Christian lady
around Gwoza was going for wedding, she was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists
and slaughtered!
“About another ten were kidnapped
while going to Maiduguri for Christmas according to the information received by
Borno State Christian Association of Nigeria, the Muslims among them were
released to go while eight out of ten Christians abducted were slaughtered
while two ladies were taken away, obviously to be sexually assaulted! Wasn’t
that not persecution?
“Our appeal to the government is
to let the Constitution be its guide in all its policies and operations. The
country belongs to all Nigerians irrespective of their religious and tribal
persuasions and any policy that is discriminatory is nothing but persecution.
We call on President Buhari to be fair to all Nigerians. We would stop
complaining when we see a just society where the rule of law, fairness, and
social justice are allowed.
“When the President released Col
Sambo Dasuki and Omoyele Sowore, we hailed him despite the fact that Dasuki is
a devout Muslim. We want those still languishing in detention after court
granted them bail to be released forthwith. Let genuine democracy work in
Nigeria and every Nigerian given sense of belonging through inclusive
opportunities.”
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