Religion
The Christian Association of Nigerian Americans, CANAN, has called on the federal to do everything within its power to rescue Leah Suhaib, stop herdsmen killings and abandon the idea of establishing cattle colony in the country.
A statement signed by Adebisi Oyesile, executive director (On behalf of CANAN Board) which was made available to Realnews on Friday, June 8, states that CANAN as a Christian organization have always prayed for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari . It said that CANAN is thankful to God for the many achievements of the government ranging from coming out of economic recession to institution of a Treasury Single Account, significant progress in economic diversification and recovery of looted fund; infrastructural development initiative, agriculture and many other major areas. Our prayers are with the president and the entire cabinet that God will surely guide them to lead Nigeria to peace, justice and prosperity.
It is, however, concerned about the level of insecurity in the country. We are concerned about several people who have lost their lives. Things are falling further apart. Our country is looking more like a war zone. Where do we go from here?
The statement reads: “We are very sad indeed that from January 1 to May 4, up to 1,500 people have been brutally murdered. Many of them burned with their homes. Most of the gruesome killings happened in the following states: Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau and Zamfara. It has been alleged that apart from the arm robbery operation in Offa in April this year, majority of the murder incidents was connected to the Fulani herdsmen operations in those states.
“Through what happened in Offa and the way the Nigeria police swung into action and captured the criminals and are now interrogating them we know that the Nigeria law enforcement can work when it choses and that the presidency and its apparatus move when they chose to. Many are perplexed that more than a thousand five hundred have died mainly through Fulani herdsmen militia and we have not had any public outing of the perpetrators nor their sponsors.
“CANAN is puzzled that the President and Commander in Chief has given several reasons for the genocide in the Middle Belt. In England the president said the perpetrators were foreigners from Libya and that their weapons came from loose weapons from Libya. In the USA the president said the killings resulted from herdsmen and farmers clashes; at some other times the military said the clashes particularly in Benue were due to the anti-grazing law duly promulgated by the legislatures of Benue State. These arguments are difficult to follow.
“We are troubled by so many incendiary remarks made by Islamic and nationalist elements from the core north that have never been vigorously challenged by the government. At one point the Arewa youth declared that citizens of Eastern Nigeria origin should leave the North, with precise ultimatum, creating terrorist fear in them until the Vice President intervened and placated them like spoilt children. None of them was arrested for this hate crime. Later the Mayetti Allah (of which President Buhari was a patron) wrote a letter to a prominent Christian leader in Nigeria Bishop Oyedepo. Two of the direct quote of their letter go as follows:
“I heard them say that the cattle colony is the only solution to the crisis, whether the Government or State Government accept or not.”
” We have asked all Fulani herdsmen all over West Africa to move to Nigeria and penetrate every corner for the upcoming Jihad.”
“If the above statements are not scary incendiary remarks that warrant the immediate attention of the government one wonders what is? The statements were published in January of 2018. This is at least five months after, what has happened? How many people have been arrested for these threats of terrorist acts?
CANAN notes with great pains that it has been more than ONE HUNDRED DAYS since the suspicious kidnapping of the 110 Dapchi girls. Suspicious because we were informed that hours before the alleged kidnapping the Military security was withdrawn from the area. Government later said it negotiated the release of all the girls through the back channels. Their abductors were said to have apologized when they knew that most of the girls were Muslims. They were promptly released except for one, the only one who refused to renounce her Christian beliefs. 106 days after, the government has not arrested any of the abductors, neither has it been able to use the same back channel to negotiate the release Esther Leah Suhaib.
In view of these developments and much more than we can articulate here, CANAN resolves as follows:
CANAN calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the release of the withheld Dapchi girl, Esther Leah Suhaib forthwith. We believe government has the capacity of arresting and prosecuting the abductors. Nigerians are waiting.
“We asked that the families of the innocent people who died in the genocidal killings by the herdsmen in the Middle Belt should be compensated for their lives and properties, with restoration of their properties, provisions for surviving widows and orphans; rebuilding of schools and social infrastructures devastated by the arsonist hoodlums. They should also be restored to their original abode after rebuilding their communities.
“We call on the Federal government to develop and disclose its strategy to fight and defeat the religious terrorist groups emanating from the Northern part of Nigeria. For a start government should rigorously adhere to the Terrorism Acts of 2011. For instance, page 2 & 5 criminalize threatening statement against fellow citizens irrespective of where they live in the country. Government should educate Muslim leaders who use their mosques and turfs to promote hate ideology such as calling for the annihilation of the so-called infidels.
“Government should immediately pronounce the abandonment of the idea of cattle colony or grazing reserve or whatever name it is called. In this twenty-first century Nigeria needs to move forward to modern cattle rearing in the name of ranching. Any state that so wishes should adopt animal ranching and they can employ any Nigerian citizens including the Fulanis. States can partner with cattle breeders and set up their enterprise. It is against the practice of a constitutional democracy for government to promote the idea of favoring sectarian business interests.
“We call on the President and Commander in Chief to boldly move to show diversity in his service chiefs as it is becoming indefensible that more than 90 percent of the Service Chiefs come from one ethnic group and one religion.
“We call on the government to affirm the secularity of the Nigeria state. Government needs to demonstrate through its actions including appointments into strategic commands that Nigeria indeed is not favoring the practice of one religion against the other.
“We call for immediate revisit of the outcome of the National Conference of 2014, which has recommended restructuring of Nigeria to practice true federalism in its true essence and the recommendation on religion affairs, which states that there will be no government sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to the holy lands. We support that all religious activities should be non-governmental with consultative status with the government. We believe that the latter recommendation on religion can immediately be taken up by the National Assembly and enacted into law.
“We ask that the rights of all Nigerians to practice their religion and participate in civil activities must not be abridged. Government should clearly communicate this through civic education and deal decisively with those who initiate violence in the name of religion or ethnicity on fellow citizens under the least provocation.
“We pray the government of President Buhari to move swiftly to allay the doubts of Nigerians that the government has radical agenda including promoting the Islamic religion and ethnic colonialism by diversifying its appointments, speaking forcefully against injustices, applying a clear and consistent strategy against all acts of terrorism; prosecuting hate crimes capable of inciting religious riots, prosecuting war against corruption with fairness and openness and meeting with a council of religious leaders and credible leaders of NGOs on way forward for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, which is very central to national economic development and prosperity.
“CANAN intends to monitor the implementation of the above demands and would immediately begin a high-level consultation with different religious groups within and outside the United States, the United States Congress and the United Nations to ensure the rights of all groups in Nigeria particularly the right to practice one’s religion and live peacefully in one’s community is never violated.
