…Declares Jan 8 Day Of Prayer, Mourning
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s silence over the ongoing genocide in Southern Kaduna in the last few weeks as official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts.
Addressing a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, the CAN’s national general secretary, Rev (Dr) Musa Asake, said the recent defence by Buharia’s special adviser on media, Femi Adesina, that he (Buhari) has received briefing from the Kaduna state governor over the matter, is unacceptable because the presidency knows that the people of the affected area had already protested against the governor’s unacceptable biased handling of the continuous killings. He said, ‘Why we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for waging war against boko haram fundamentalists since his assumption of office, his silence over the on-going genocide in the last few weeks speaks volume over the perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts. “The current unprecedented onslaught against christians in southern Kaduna by the Islamic fundamentalists disguising as fulani herdsmen under the watch of Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai and President Muhammadu Buhari has reached an alarming stage.” The CAN’s national general secretary who called for a review of appointment of security institutions to ensure a balance of muslim and christian representation, said the association had earlier flayed the imbalance in the appointments. Meanwhile, the association has declared sunday, January 8, 2017, as national day of mourning by christians, including those in diaspora over southern Kaduna killings. Subsequently, it directed all christians to dress in mourning attire of black clothes or dresses in all their church services on January 8, 2017, to pray fervently for their southern Kaduna brothers and sisters who are victims of wanton killings and for the peace of the nation. Asake also charged christians to celebrate the yuletide in low key in solidarity with their brethren in southern Kaduna, who had lost their lives and who have been denied the privilege of celebrating the yuletide. “An injustice to one is an injustice to all. Each state chairman of CAN should also address the press either on the 1st or 8th of January reading out the contents of this release. May God deliver our land from the forces of darkness on rampage in Jesus name, Amen.” He admonished christians in Nigeria and on the global scene to speak out against what he called ethnic/religious cleansing to wake up the Nigeria security agencies from their deliberate slumber to carry out their responsibilities. Quoting from the poem of Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), which he penned during the brutal days of Adolf Hitler, Asake said, “it is our prayer that those who were slaughtered will rest in perfect peace. We pray that God will heal the wounds of their loved ones and all those that they left behind, and that God will strengthen and avenge them in the shortest time possible, for our God will never abandon or forsake His people. May we be comforted that help is on the way, Let us completely trust and depend on Him holding onto His promises for our God is mighty and powerful and He will surely deliver us.”
