The National leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) on
Friday expressed sadness over the manner the federal and state governments
are handling the Southern Kaduna killings.
CAN described President Muhammadu Buhari’s silence on the matter as sad
and unacceptable.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on the crisis in Southern Kaduna, CAN
National General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, said although the church in
Nigeria has been subjected to a “systemic genocide and persecution through
the instrumentality of Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of
Christians and destroyed churches and over 50,000 houses since 2009, the
current unprecedented onslaught against Christians in southern Kaduna by
Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen had reached an
alarming stage.”
The continuous killings, Asake said had shown that the Kaduna State
government “lacks the will power to arrest the situation and bring it
under effective control.
“We know that southern Kaduna has been under 24-hour curfew daily as
directed by the governor, yet the enemies of the people are still prowling
going from house to house killing defenseless people without government
protection,” the body said.
CAN, he said has declared January 8, 2017 as national day of mourning by
Christians including those in diaspora, adding that all Christians must
dress in mourning attire of black clothes or dresses in all church
services.
He said, “I have been directed by the President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle to bring to
your attention the ongoing ethnic/religious cleansing of Nigerian
Christians in general and those of southern Kaduna in particular in the
last few weeks.
“While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for waging war against Boko
Haram fundamentalists since his assumption of office, his silence on the
ongoing genocide in the last few weeks speaks volume of the perceived
official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts.
“The recent defense of the President’s silence that the President has
received briefing from the governor of Kaduna State on the matter is
unacceptable, because the Presidency knows that the people of the affected
area had already protested the governor’s unacceptable biased handling of
the killings.”