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“Violence in Southern Kaduna IS religious," CAN replies FG

CAN, Kaduna State Chapter, has reacted to a recent statement from the FG that said the Southern Kaduna crisis is not religious.

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)-Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle
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In the statement, the minister urged religious leaders to stay out of the Southern Kaduna crisis, while insisting that the killings were not religious.

Vanguard reports that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, has reacted to this with this statement, “Shut up if you have nothing to say.”

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The Secretary of CAN, Kaduna State Chapter, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, insisted that the killings are very religious.

In order to prove his point, he asked, "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 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.

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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.”

He also urged Danbazau to keep quiet since he appears to have no interest in solving the crisis.

“The statement attributed tocame to us with the least of surprise because of his antecedence on matters like this. If has no interest in solving our security problems, he should shut up, just like President has kept mute also," he said.

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Rev. Musa Asake, the General Secretary of National CAN, had a similar reaction in a telephone interview.

“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," he said.

However, the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has announced plans to commence investigation into the Southern Kaduna killings.

"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," Saraki reportedly said.

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The investigation will begin once the Senate resumes on January 10, 2017.

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