Christian Association of Nigeria has released a strongly worded
press statement about the perpetual attacks on Christian Minorities in
the middlebelt. Speaking at the National Christian
Centre, Abuja, the Secretary General of CAN, Reverend Dr. Musa Asake
outlined the desperate state of affairs in the Middle-belt, the
helplessness of the Nigerian security apparatus and the
failure/dis-interest of the federal Government to end the attacks.
Below is the full text of the press statement.
Gentlemen of the Press,
On behalf of the President of the Christian Association
of Nigeria and the entire Christian Community here in Nigeria, I welcome
you to this press conference in the precious and wonderful name of Our
Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Since this is our first meeting
this year, permit me to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and wishing you a
productive and prosperous 2018.We have invited you here to express our grave concern for
the insecurity challenges that have continued to face us as a nation
and Christians in particular in our dear country, Nigeria. We make bold
to say that Nigeria’s security system has become dysfunctional and that
this fact has been exposed by the inability of the various security arms
to wrestle to the ground those threatening the existence of Christians
and other innocent citizens in Nigeria,As it is, they have not been able to come up with an
efficient and enduring system that can overwhelm the resurgence of Boko
Haram, Gunmen and Fulani Herdsmen who are prowling villages, shooting
and killing innocent Christians. Instead the IG whenever there is
killings going on his men on ground in that particular area will be
looking the other way and if asked they will say they are waiting for
order from above.The IG will always take side and make statements that are
provocative to the people of the affected area. For example, when it
happened in Southern Kaduna he said it was a communal clash and refuted
the number of people killed. Recently he repeated the same statement in
the Benue killings. That is an insult to the Christian community from a
leader who is supposed to protect our lives and property. What a shame!The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reviewed
the catalogue of horrendous and inhuman attacks on several states and
mostly Benue State from 2013 – 2018. The impression has now been firmly
established that the Islamists of northern Nigerian have “legalized
jihad” in Nigeria.As if the attacks on Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Plateau,
Yobe, Borno, Nasarawa, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Rivers, Ogun and Oyo States are
not enough, the Islamists and their agents have extended their trail of
blood and destruction to Bwari in Abuja and Ilorin in Kwara State. On
Christmas Day, 2017, Christian community in Bwari, Abuja was attacked;
several lives were lost while business locations were burnt down. On
New Year’s Day in 2018, Christians observing “watch-night” service in
Ilorin were attacked and three Churches burnt. As usual, the Security
Agents did not intervene until the attackers had finished their
horrendous assignment.This pattern suggests collusion of the Security Units
with the Islamists militia operating under such names as Fulani
herdsmen, Boko Haram, “unknown gunmen”, and “group of vandals”. On 17th
January, 2017, the Nigerian Air Force “accidentally”, in broad daylight,
bombed a Christian IDP Camp and killed over 200 Christian refugees in
Rann, Kala-Balge Local Government in Borno State. In December 2017, an
Air Force spokes person confirmed that the Nigerian Air Force sent an
Alpha Jet and an EC 135 attack Helicopter to fire “warning” shots at
Islamist militia attacking Christians in Numan, Adamawa state, but not
to kill them! The villagers were later to report that the Jet actually
bombed the Christian villages resulting in the death of over 50 people,
while, the Nigerian Air Force said it merely fired warning shots at the
Islamist militia attacking the villagers. This is jihad as we cannot
understand fired warning shots in the narrative of this attack.It is clear to the discerning that President Buhari is
not running Nigeria according to the dictates of the Democratic values
in the Constitution and has no respect for Human Rights, Rule of Law and
Democracy. It is unfortunate that a President that was sworn into
office to uphold and defend the Constitution has flagrantly violated the
Constitution and adopted Sharia ideology as operational standard.Having reviewed the situation in the country, the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) wishes to note that some
principal entities appear responsible for the current distress in the
nation.President Muhammadu Buhari
President Buhari was elected on a wave of unprecedented
public approval in 2015. Unfortunately, within a few weeks of his
election, he started creating the impression that he was in power to
serve the interests of his Fulani ethnic group only. Discerning people
were quick to note that contrary to his electoral promises, he actually
meant to pursue core Islamist agenda. Almost every vital appointment in
Security and Education went to Muslims from the North. He did not hide
his disdain for the indigenous ethnic nationalities and, at every
opportunity, showed preferential treatment to the Muslim North.Under President Buhari, the murderous Fulani herdsmen
enjoyed unprecedented protection and favoritism to the extent that the
herdsmen treat Nigeria as a conquered territory. Rather than arrest and
prosecute the Fulani herdsmen, security forces usually manned by Muslims
from the North offer them protection as they unleash terror with
impunity on the Nigerian people.The bottom line is that President Buhari failed woefully
to protect Nigerians. He wilfully permitted the Fulani herdsmen to
operate killing people, destroying communities wholesale, destroying
farmlands and turning the entire Middle Belt into “killing fields”, all
the while enjoying government protection from counter attack, arrest or
prosecution.By failing to curb the attacks of the Fulani herdsmen
President Buhari has failed to uphold Section 14, Para. 2 (b) in the
Constitution that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the
primary purpose of government:”Through his partial, sectional and discriminatory
appointments, particularly in Security and Education, President Buhari
violated Section 14, Para. 3 “The composition of the Government of the
Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall
be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of
Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command
national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance
of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional
groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association is supposed
to be a business group much like many other businesses and professional
groups in the country. However, the MACBAN differs from any other
business group in that it combines bloodshed with enterprise.The Fulani herdsmen are clearly associated with MACBAN
and the officials of MACBAN are noted to make very inciting statements
before and after the Fulani herdsmen attack vulnerable communities.In the recent attacks on Benue State, the President of
Benue Branch of Miyetti Allah, Garus Gololo said they attacked the
communities because 1,000 of their cows were stolen. Even if it was true
that cows were stolen, who constituted Miyetti Allah into law
enforcement agency, judge and jury to commit wholesale murder?In another account, Miyetti Allah called a Press
Conference in which it stated it would not abide with the anti-open
grazing law of Benue State Government. The Chief Press Secretary to the
Benue State Government, Terve Akase believes that the attacks on Benue
State on 1st and 2nd January, 2018 were in reaction to the grazing law
enacted by the Benue State Government.Miyetti Allah has openly rejected anti-open grazing bills
in Taraba, Plateau and Benue States. In May 2017, the National
President of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo and the
National Secretary Engineer Saleh Alhassan openly declared at a Press
Conference that the introduction of anti-open grazing bill in some
states is a recipe for anarchy. Are we now to conclude that a business
group has supremacy over State Governments?RESOLUTIONS
1.In view of the foregoing, the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) calls on all lovers of freedom and democracy in Nigeria to
rise against the tyranny of the Islamists, who manipulate the religion
of Islam for political and cultural domination. There is difference
between Islam and Islamism. While Islam is a religion, Islamism is not a
religion but a political ideology. Islamism in Nigeria is based on the
Doctrine of Hate and supremacist ideology that the Fulani is superior to
the other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. This is what is at the root
of the bloodshed and insecurity all over Nigeria. The clannish mentality
of the Fulani places every other ethnic nationality in Nigeria as
colonial subject or dhimmi (second class citizen), irrespective of
religion or culture.
- Most of the problems in the polity especially the
ongoing genocide against Christians in the Northcentral are having
religious and tribal undertone hence why the Islamic leaders are keeping
mum to the massacre of our members in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, and Enugu
states. It is part of the grand agenda to take over our land, with this I
have good news for you. “It will not work”3. Instead of bringing the leadership of Myetti Allah to
book for being the masterminds of the genocide, top functionaries of the
Buhari government are now advocating grazing colonies with a view of
granting these criminals free land and government support.4. While the government has taken the battle to Boko
Haram terrorists, the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Badoo boys, the
Niger Delta Avengers and other groups, the government has not shown any
serious willingness to checkmate the murderous Fulani Herdsmen. This to
us is a betrayal of the confidence reposed in this government by
Nigerians when they voted them into power.
- We need to know why the intelligence units of all
security apparatus that we have in this country has not been able to
discover the sources of supply of ammunition to Fulani herdsmen living
virtually in the bush.To restore permanent peace to all the trouble spots in the country, we demand the following;
- The Myetti Allah organisation should be tagged a
terrorist organisation. Its leaders should be arrested and prosecuted
for the genocide against the Christian minorities in the Middlebelt.2. President Muhammadu Buhari should overhaul the
National Security Council with a view to sharing its membership equally
between Christians and Muslims and possibly those who do not belong to
either. No religion has a monopoly of competency, commitment and
patriotism.3. We call for immediate replacement of the Inspector
General of Police because our security can no longer be guaranteed. We
also demand immediate redeployment of all the Commissioners of Police.Every Nigerian should condemn in strong terms and resist
the attempt by this pro-Fulani government that “cattle colonies” shall
be established all over the country. This is an insult on all Nigerians.
The idea of “cattle colony” presupposes that the Fulanis are colonial
masters. How and when one ethnic group transmuted into a “colonial
master” over all the other 388 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria is
unknown. Besides, after Nigerians roundly rejected “grazing reserves”
who are the Islamists trying to deceive with change of nomenclature?TRUMP’S DECLARATION ON JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISREAL IS IN ORDER
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is compelled
once again, to draw the attention of the Buhari Administration to the
non-aligned status of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in international
conflicts. We have had cause to express great apprehension when in
December 2015, President Buhari, without giving consideration to Section
10 of the Constitution, as well as to the sensitivity of Christians
that constitute over 50% of the Nigerian population, led Nigeria to join
the Saudi Arabia initiated Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition
(IMCTC).Since then, there have been other disturbing actions of
the President internally, that borders on adoption of Islam as state
religion in a Secular State. These include the promotion of Sharia
Compliant Finance, using State resources, violation of Federal Character
Principle in the Constitution by appointing mostly Muslims to head
Security Units in the nation, and the inability of the Government to
arrest and prosecute rampaging Islamic militias, amongst others.Recently, Mr. President once again dragged Nigeria to
interfere in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by voting against the
recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at the United Nations.
The non-aligned status of Nigeria demanded that Nigeria should have
abstained from voting, either for or against, when the issue came up at
the UN.We wish to place on record, once again, the dangerous and
un-statesmanship religious discrimination and partiality that have
characterized the President Buhari-led administration. Nigeria is a
Secular State and the issue of religion is supposed to be an individual
conviction. While the choice of a nation’s capital is a political
decision, the objection of the Palestinians to Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel, in this case, has a lot of religious undertones.Nigeria should have been more circumspect before it
dabbles into an issue that has been entangled over the years so that it
would not compromise its non-aligned status. Mr. President, Nigeria has a
lot of security challenges internally that demand immediate attention
and leave no room for the nation to meddle in issues that demand our
neutrality.The Christian Association of Nigeria is placing on record
that the negative vote of Nigeria over Jerusalem is not the consensus
of the citizens of this country and therefore, it should not be regarded
as representing the choice of Nigeria. It is a sectional and unilateral
imposition of the President Buhari Administration.Again and again, Muslim leaders from the northern part
of the country have demonstrated inability to respect the secularity of
the Nigerian State and leave religion as an individual conviction
according to Section 38 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution.We demand of the President holistic response to curb the
horrendous menace of the Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram, who to all
intent and purpose have launched Jihad in Nigeria. These are the issues
our President should focus on rather than seek to compromise our
non-aligned status that serves our national interest very well.Thank you and God bless Nigeria.
Rev. Musa Asake, PhD.
CAN National General Secretary