The Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese, Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza, has asserted that the statement made by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II, was partly responsible for the crisis in Adamawa State.
Mamza, who is the Chairman of the State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, said the monarch was wrong to say ‘Fulanis can’t be killed like that’.
Abubakar had said Fulani’s patience and silence should not be misconstrued for weakness, following attacks on them.
Reacting to the statement, the Bishop said the killing in Numan was not targeted at any tribe.
Speaking with Punch, the clergy man maintained that the crisis has “no religious connotation; so, he shouldn’t have spoken in the tone he did as if he were speaking on behalf of the Fulani.”
According to Mamza, “I think the comment of the Sultan has actually increased the tension here in Adamawa State. A highly-placed religious leader like him is not expected to make such a misguided statement, because this is not the first time that we would experience killings in the state.
“As a religious and spiritual leader, what I will expect of him is to condemn all forms of killings and not to single out this incident because the Fulani are involved or that some of them are victims.
“He is not the leader of the Fulani alone; he’s the leader of all Muslims. So he should not be seen as a sectional leader.
“That statement should have come from the leader of the Fulani and not from the Sultan because he is a Muslim leader.
“This crisis has no religious connotation; so, he shouldn’t have spoken in the tone he did as if he were speaking on behalf of the Fulani.”
Comments