The Federal Government, yesterday,
launched a bitter but indirect rebuke on
the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN,
as well as the Catholic Church over
comments by both bodies regarding the
wave of ethno-religious crisis in the
Southern part of Kaduna State. In a
strongly-worded statement, the Minister of
Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said:
“True religious leaders do not fan the
embers of hate, but ensure that
communities live in peace and harmony.”
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Dr Bukola
Saraki, has said that the senate would
commence investigation into the latest
killings in southern Kaduna State. But CAN,
Kaduna State branch, yesterday, reacted
angrily to the suggestion by Danbazau that
Christian leaders in Kaduna State were
fanning the embers of hate and religious
intolerance by insisting that the killings
going on in Southern Kaduna was religious
in nature. Kaduna CAN said to the Minister:
“Shut up if you have nothing to say.”
Similarly, Rev. Musa Asake, the General
Secretary of National CAN, in a telephone
interview, said it would be an unfortunate
thing for a Minister like Dambazau to say
that the Christian leadership in the country
was fanning the embers of hatred. He said
CAN did not exaggerate the killings as
being accused. “We have to say things (the
way they are) when they are not going
well. We are not fanning embers of hate as
the minister suggested. How can somebody
be talking like that? We do not exaggerate
or say negative things like some people.”
Dambazau in a statement by his Press
Secretary, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo,
yesterday, was reacting to statements
credited to the national leadership of CAN
and the Catholic Church in Southern
Kaduna, accusing Islamist herdsmen of
trying to wipe out the Christian-dominated
and largely agrarian communities in the
area. The Dambazau statement The
statement said: “The Minister of the
Interior, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau
(retd), has called on all well-meaning
Nigerians not to allow themselves to be
dragged into religious conflicts. He
observed that this has become necessary
following insinuations that the criminal
violence in Southern Kaduna has some
religious interpretation. “He said there are
people who are always looking for ways to
further create division along religious or
ethnic fault lines for their selfish interest,
with the aim of creating instability in our
internal security. Accordingly, the Minister
posited that true religious leaders do not
fan the embers of hate, but ensure that
communities live in peace and harmony. In
this connection, he maintained that
economic growth and development will
remain a mirage for Nigeria, with over 500
ethnic groups and multiple religions, unless
we resolve to live amicably as a people
with common destiny. Onayekan,Ayokunle
and Buhari “Dambazau said criminals, who
perpetrate violence against innocent, law-
abiding citizens, do not discriminate along
religious and ethnic lines, citing examples
of how communities in Zamfara, Katsina,
Taraba, Enugu, Lagos and Niger were
victimized by those violent criminals. He
noted that a criminal should be treated as
such, whether he is involved in armed
robbery, drug trafficking, homicide or
cattle rustling, and that people should
avoid honouring criminals with religious or
ethnic attachment. “He advised opinion
and religious leaders to refrain from giving
the crisis between herdsmen and sedentary
farmers in Southern Kaduna a religious
connotation, rather attention should be
focused on the real enemies of our Society,
who illegally acquire weapons to terrorize
Christian and Muslim communities alike.”
Kaduna CAN reacts Reacting to Dambazau’s
comment, Secretary of CAN, Kaduna State
Chapter, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, said it was
better that Danbazau kept quiet since he
appeared not to be interested in solving the
problem, insisting that the violence was
religious in nature. He said: “The statement
attributed to Danbazau came to us with the
least of surprise because of his antecedence
on matters like this. If Danbazau has no
interest in solving our security problems,
he should shut up, just like President
Muhammadu Buhari has kept mute also.
“Why should Danbazzau not wait for the
much talked about investigation into the
massacre and bring out a conclusion that
may rubbish our claim? What do you call
continuous killings and destruction of
Christian communities with gunmen
chanting Islamic slogans all the time? In
areas where there are Muslims, such as
Godogodo, Akwa, Golkofa, Gada Biyu, in
Jema’a LGA, the homes of Muslims and the
Muslim residents there were not touched.
But not a Christian home or church is
standing in the other areas. What do you
call that? “In Chaiwai, Chiefdom, Kauru,
LGA, where five villages were sacked and
45 people killed in November, the
survivors said the gunmen were chanting
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. They shot and
killed pigs in the villages, also stole goats
and grains and burnt the churches and
houses there. “We have visited some of
these places and the evidence is on ground.
ECWA Church addressed a press conference
in Kaduna, last October or was it
November, and said that all their churches
in affected towns and villages had been
burnt. “The Catholic Church knows its
casualties, so do Anglican, Baptist Church
and the rest. The statement of Danbazzau
is either to cover his shame for his refusal
to stop Jihadist herdsmen or he is out to
intimidate CAN not to reveal to the world
the atrocity that herdsmen are doing at
cleansing Christian communities in
Southern Kaduna “As the Minister of
Interior, has he ever taken a trip to
Southern Kaduna to see things for himself?
The first time he would be making a
statement is to cast Christian leaders in bad
light instead of saying comforting words to
us. Violence in Southern Kaduna religious
— CAN “CAN in Kaduna insists that the
violence in Southern Kaduna is religious.
Islamists want to destroy Christianity in
Southern Kaduna and occupy the land. And
right now, they are occupying 16 villages
in Southern Kaduna with their cattle and
families after terrorising out the Christian
natives. Let him come and see with his
own eyes if CAN is lying. “We are still
waiting for the same reaction of the
Federal Government in Zamfara and
Katsina just a day or two after gunmen
killed several people there. We are happy
they got the killers and have secured these
states. “Since April, last year, we have been
shouting hoarse and pleading. All we get
from the Inspector General of Police and
now the Minister of Interior is that we
have no right to describe the killings in its
true form, while the two just sit and watch
on.” Senate to investigate S’ Kaduna
killings, says Saraki Meanwhile, the Senate
President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said that
the senate would commence investigation
into the latest killings in southern Kaduna
State. Saraki made the announcement in a
statement by his Special Assistant on New
Media, Mr Bamikole Omishore, in Abuja,
yesterday. According to Saraki, the Senate
will on resumption from recess on January
10, make the issue a priority. Omishore said
the senate president made the disclosure
while responding to a tweet posted by one
Chimeze Ukoha on the Kaduna killings. The
statement quoted Ukoha as saying that
“About 800 Christians were massacred in
Southern Kaduna and nobody is talking
about that, very bad.” It quotes Saraki as
responding that “once the senate resumes,
this issue will be addressed to get a clearer
picture of what the real situation is and
find a lasting solution. “Every Nigerian life
matters and the senate will work to ensure
that rule of law is always upheld as
prescribed by the Nigerian Constitution.”
The statement explained that Saraki was
already in touch with senators from
Kaduna State and that he was constantly
getting updates on developments. Army
approves Brigade Command in troubled
area Meanwhile, worried by the recurring
crisis in the southern part of Kaduna State,
especially the ongoing crisis where several
lives have been lost and property worth
millions of naira destroyed, the authorities
of the Nigerian Army have approved the
establishment of a brigade command in the
troubled area. Also, the Army authorities
have directed that Camp Zero,
headquarters of the dreaded Boko Haram
terrorists which recently fell to its gallant
troops be used as the Nigerian Army Small
Arms Competition in 2017. The
development came as the Army said it has
not only deployed troops to Southern
Kaduna but has also taken full control of
the crisis zone. Director of Army Public
Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman,
who disclosed this yesterday, at a media
briefing, in Abuja, assured that full
normalcy would soon be restored. “I want
to inform you that the Nigerian Army is
fully deployed to the southern part of
Kaduna State with directive to restore law
and order and we might go beyond that.
“The Nigerian Army is fully on ground in
the southern part of Kaduna State. It is our
hope and prayer that the problem that
requires this will be nipped in the bud.
“The Nigerian Army has made provision
for military establishment in that part and
any moment from now, we are going to
have it.” Speaking on the Sambisa Forest
proposed arms training, he said: “The Chief
of Army Staff has directed that next
Nigerian Army Small Arms Competition,
NASAC 2017, would be conducted at
Sambisa Forest. Already, efforts are on by
the Nigerian Army engineers to open more
routes and construct bridges into the once
Boko Haram haven to facilitate easy access
to the forest.” Usman said the briefing was
part of the Nigerian Army “ interaction to
review our last year training and
operational activities which led to the final
fall of Boko Haram terrorists headquarters
in Camp Zairo and subsequent subsequent
presidential commendation on achieving
that noble feat.” The Army spokesman,
who recalled that the Nigerian Army last
year conducted many training activities at
all levels in addition to other training
exercise conducted by the various Nigerian
Army training institutions across the
country, said the development led to its
successes in cattle rustling, recovery of
arms and ammunition as well as arrest of
perpetrators of violence in various parts of
the country.
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