The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Inter-society, has urged Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and other Christian bodies in Nigeria to take other available lawful steps, apart from last Sunday’s protest, to stop the killings of Christians, invading and burning of Churches in Nigeria by Islamic jihadists masquerading as killer herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents.
Inter-society, in a statement yesterday by its board chairman, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, said: “other available lawful steps at the disposal of Nigerian Christian leaders would be a welcome development and a clear and commendable departure from the weak, watery, cowardly, atrocity friendly and pro establishment statements issued by some key Christian leaders in recent months in Nigeria.
“Having carefully read and studied the two statements that called for the last Sunday’s protest, it gladdens our heart that Nigerian Christian leaders are beginning to wake up from their chronic slumber and realize the dangers of imminent extinction of Christian faith in Nigeria and its replacement with Islamic caliphate throughout the country, particularly in the Middle Belt, Southeast and South-south Nigeria.
“We join other Nigerians of good conscience to call on all Christian leaders in Nigeria to shun the crude pursuit and worship of ill-gotten wealth and rise in strong defense of Christian faith in Nigeria.
“We also call on them to focus and properly direct their energies towards the protection and growth of Christian religion from the crushing hands of Jihadists and be tolerant of indigenous religions and their sacred places of worship.
“Instead of dissipating energies locating and destroying bushes, forests, community squares and centres of artifacts and other religious symbols of traditional religionists, crusade warriors should focus their attention more on real enemies of the Christian faith including conquering of aggressor Jihadists by prayers and anointing and leave traditionals religionists and their sacred symbols of faith and places of worship alone.”
”Inter-society alleged that, “In 2014 alone, terror Boko Haram killed over 5700 mainly Christians in Nigeria while terror Fulani Herdsmen killed 1,229 Christians in the same year, and over 1000 Christians have been killed in the past four months, adding that Christian death toll may mostly likely hit 4000 or more by the end of 2018 and by the end of this year 2018, if care is not properly taken, it may most likely be the bloodiest year for Christians in Nigeria in the hands of terror Fulani Herdsmen.”
“Independent concerns over undeniable complicity of Nigerian security forces especially the Nigerian Army and the Police in these killings have continuously grown and manifested openly across the country. The invasion and ransacking by soldiers of the Nigerian Army on 26th April 2018 of the Parish House of Rev Father Vesuwe Benjamin; a priest attached to the Catholic Archdiocese of Gboko; barely 48 hours after terror Fulani Herdsmen invaded St Ignatius Catholic Church in same Benue State and massacred two Priests, two catechists and fifteen other parishioners; is a clear case in point.
“The soldiers had invaded his Parish House and turned everything including his sacred cassock wardrobe upside down claiming that they were searching for weapons kept by the Rev Father; yet none of the Fulani Herdsmen that massacred 19 worshippers at St Ignatius Catholic Church in the State, with their AK-47s has been arrested.”
It said, “Beyond calling for protest by CBCN and CAN, more lawful and coordinated efforts are needed to checkmate the ongoing orgy of butchery on the ground of faith in Nigeria.
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