Chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab on Tuesday bemoaned the increasing spate of killings and kidnappings of members of the clergy in the state.
Hayab, who was worried over the insecurity in Kaduna State, wondered why killings and kidnappings have become so rampant in the state with Christians and clergy men being the worst hit.
Speaking while reacting to the killing of Pastor Jeremiah Omolara of Living Faith Church in Romi New Extension, a suburb of Kaduna state, he urged the government to ensure security coverage in all nooks and cranny of the state
DAILY POST recalls that the Living Faith pastor was killed by gunmen along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, while his wife, Mrs. Joy was abducted, as his son escaped.
Hayab lamented the increasing rate of kidnappings in Kaduna, especially the increasing abduction of clergy men in the state.
According to him, “Just last week a clergy man was attacked in Kasuwan Magani. The security man was killed immediately as they struggled to find their way into the house. Thank God, the gunmen could not gained entrance into the room.”
He noted that in the same LGA, (Kasuwan Magani), the daughter of a Baptist pastor was abducted and the kidnappers were demanding a huge sum as ransom
Narrating how some gunmen abducted another pastor of a Pentecostal church in the heart of Kaduna, Joseph Hayab said, “As at Friday last week, the kidnappers were asking us to pay N4 million or we should not call them again for the release of the pastor.
”Now the Living Faith Church pastor was killed along Kaduna-Abuja in the presence of his wife, who was later abducted. That tells you that the new trend is to attack us in our homes or in our churches or on the roads. We are just not safe anywhere and we are asking the same question we have been asking: “where are our security agencies?“
“Are we being told tactically that we should defend ourselves? If we start defending ourselves, it means that we no longer have security or we no longer have government. Or is this government only for those they love and they don’t care about others?
“We feel strongly that the federal government and the Inspector General of Police should do something about Kaduna, since we have a governor who does not listen and feels he knows everything.
“Even after the killing of the security guards to the parish priest, we heard that a government official called the priest. Is it calling the victims that we want or addressing the security challenges?
“If you speak to me as Rev. Hayab when criminals attacked me, what help have you rendered to me? You are not helping to stop the attack. So we are really concerned that people, especially clergies in Kaduna are no longer safe.
“We don’t want a situation where we will be forced to think of how to protect ourselves, we believe that government is there to protect us.”
Meanwhile, calls to get the reaction of the Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, rang out, even as text messages sent to him were not replied.
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