The Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) on Thursday called on the Federal Government to probe ‘the attack’ on the building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos and the recent fire incident at House on the Rock in Abuja.
The organisation said it had uncovered, through intelligence reports, desperate plans at official quarters to silence Christianity.
A SCOAN building under construction went down on September 12 2014, when its General Overseer, Prophet T.B. Joshua, was delivering a sermon.
National President of YOWICAN, Mr Daniel David Kadzai, raised the alarm at a press conference in Abuja entitled “CLASSIFIED INTELLIGENCE AVAILABLE TO US CONFIRM A GANG-UP TO SUBMERGE, SUBDUE AND POSSIBLY WIPE-OUT CHRISTIANITY FROM NIGERIA.”
A statement he read noted that “the mystifying collapse at SCOAN in Ikotun Egbe, the aberrant fire of the House on the Rock Church in Abuja on the 25th of June, 2017, the unobtrusive removal of the subject – Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) from the curriculum of the Nigerian educational system, the killings in southern Kaduna this year, the attack this week on a pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) serving under Keffi District Church Council (15 Kilometers from the Federal Capital Territory Abuja) and the most recent one yesterday, the 28th of June 2017 bombing of the Missionary Hospital in Bornu State”, was premeditated.
“The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) and the entire congregation of Christians in Nigeria conclude, therefore, that there is a conscious and vehemently sustained move to submerge, subdue and systematically exterminate the existence and sustainability of Christianity and Christians in Nigeria.
“We wish to emphatically make this point clear” that we are not naive of these machinations and that the time of political correctness, where such matters when known were swept under the carpet and played as low as possible is over.
“YOWICAN with this statement wishes to draw the attention of the public in Nigeria as well as the international community on this development which we in the past thought were mere attacks or calamities lacking coherent sequence.
“In the same vein however, this statement is also meant to inform both the perpetuators and sponsors of these heinous schemes (religious fundamentalists and their sponsors who we now know are some highly influential countries of the world), that the Christian community is fully aware of their strategic plans and are watching closely to further bring to further clarity, their intents.
“It is in this same vein that YOWICAN calls on the government of Nigeria to mobilise as a matter of urgency, all it’s law enforcement and diplomatic apparatuses for the purpose of further investigating the matter, beef up security and begin enquiry and ascertain their position on the matters raised here whilst also using and effectively engaging their benefit of “state power” to probe most of these countries and groups who are involved in these crimes against the Christian community in Nigeria.
“Also, the Nigerian government should also open up investigations as soon as possible to ascertain the immediate and remote cause of specifically, the SCOAN building church attack, to bring those culpable of this heinous crime to this church to book and also come up with an appropriate compensation to SCOAN for the embarrassment and damage to both the image of this church and Christianity in Nigeria.
“Finally, we wish to make it clear that as a religion, known and practised in many countries of the world, and one that has track record of championing peace and respect of humanity and life as evident in the teachings of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, a religion that is known for selflessness, one that has helped reinvigorate nations and bring succour and hope to millions of people, Christianity and Christians in Nigeria refuses to be intimidated by any uncivilised conquest of any fundamentalist religious sect and their so-called sponsors.
“We demand a response to this statement by the government of Nigeria in the weeks ahead with a detailed response to reflect the following (1) what their findings as regards the matters raised above are and (2) what they have done or will do (using the privilege of “state power” in seeing to the stemming of such further embarrassments to our nation, our churches, Christians, and the religion of Christianity in Nigeria.”
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