Christians in the North have said attacks on churches are invitations to religious war in the country.
They said: “Enough is enough”.
At a briefing in Kaduna yesterday, Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Northern Nigeria, Saidu Dogo, said: CAN is tired of sitting back while innocent Christians are killed and churches destroyed.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) expressed fears that bombing of worship places are capable of creating a major crisis in the country.
It appealed to Nigerians to give peace a chance.
Dogo urged Islamic leaders in the North to call their followers to order to avert a religious war.
His words: “No group should be pushed to the wall just to fan the embers of a religious war.
“Christians shall henceforth, in the midst of these provocations and wanton destruction of innocent life and property, be compelled to make our own efforts and arrangements to protect our lives .
“We are therefore calling on all Christians to be law abiding but defend themselves whenever the need arises.
“We are also calling on the Muslim Umma and Ulamas in Nigeria to live up to their responsibilities by calling to order all Islamic sects in the country to have respect for human lives and stop these killings.
“We fear that the situation may degenerate to a religious war and Nigeria may not be able to survive it. Once again, enough is enough.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Federal Government and its security agents in trying to curtail these attacks.
“However, we are piqued that the efforts of government are being undermined by the sponsors of the Islamic fundamentalists in the North.
“We are particularly disturbed that the perpetrators of these dastardly acts and their sponsors are well known to government and no serious or decisive actions have been taken to stem their nefarious activities
“The federal and state governments of Niger, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and such other areas should arrest all the perpetrators and their sponsors.
“Government at all levels should provide 24 hours security services to all churches, Christian religious institutions and organisations in the county, especially in the North.
“We are also calling on the federal and state governments to urgently stem these massacres of Christians and the destruction of their churches and property in the North.
“The attacks so far have proved that some Islamic fundamentalists want to exterminate Christianity in the northern states.
“We are assuring all Christians that the church will not allow that to happen.
“We call on all Christians in the North to remain calm, watchful, prayerful, and peaceful but act wisely to protect themselves and property as each situation dictates.
“Our condolences go to the families of all those who lost their lives in the wake of these attacks,” Dogo said.
The ACF said it is worried that these attacks are capable of creating an unnecessary religious crisis in the country and asked all those perpetuating such acts to desist in the interest of the nation.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, the ACF said “the spate of bomb blasts on Christmas day, which were directed at places of worships across some parts of the North” is a serious source of concern to us, Northern leaders and to the good people of the North, indeed, to patriotic Nigerians.
“It is a source of concern not because past bombings were less serious but because those on the Christmas Day are capable of diverting attention to religious crises that would serve no one, including the perpetrators, any good now and for a long time to come.
“Consequently, ACF calls on the perpetrators of violence to stop forth with and avail themselves to due process of addressing perceived grievances that are in place.
“ACF also wishes to say killing of innocent Nigerians is not correct and offends God and many people’s sense of justice. This is because a good number of those who go to places of worship are not lettered in either Western or Islamic education.”
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