Tina Anthony
16 May 2004
CHRISTIAN Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kano State chapter has faulted official claim that only 30 people were killed during the religious crisis that engulfed Kano last week, just as over 10,000 displaced people scattered around the refugee camps and churches have refused to accept relief materials from the state governmet. The Vice-Chairman of the state CAN, Reverend Matthew Abdullahi, who spoke on behalf of the state CAN Chairman, Bishop Foster Ekeleme, said the dead casualties figure released by the state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, that only 30 persons were killed was not true.
According to the CAN vice chairman, "if the government or anybody is doubting that many lives were lost during the mayhem, they can come to the refuge camps and speak with those who lost their loved ones, neighbours and children. Rev. Abdullahi who also blamed the state government for the unfortunate crisis alleged that the whole demonstration was pre-meditated and that the state government was aware of the incident that led to the riot but did not take appropriate security precautions to prevent the whole attack on Christians. Also commenting on the riot, CAN General Secretary in the state, Reverend Dr. A . Uba described the Kano killings as saddening because innocent Christians in the state have always been victims of reprisal attacks.
Reverend Uba called on the federal government to punish all those involved in the killings, saying that if nothing was done to serve as deterrent, innocent people would continue to die over what they did not know anything about.He then appealed to the appropriate authorities and individuals to come to the rescue of the victims of the mayhem, especially as they have refused to accept the state government's food, pointing out that their conditions getting worse at the camps.
Meanwhile, the Igbo Community President-General in Kano, Chief Dr. Boniface Ibekwe has said that victims of the mayhem in the state lost property worth over N150million, but pointed out that it was yet to determine the exact number of non indigenes that died in the riot.
Chief Ibekwe told Sunday Vanguard that they have been moving around to access the extent of damage on property of victims of the riot, saying that many people have lost their personal buildings and all they have worked for in the state.He lamented that the non-indigenes residing in Kano have always been victims of riots which they did not cause."All the riots that occurred in Kano started from religious demonstrations which later degenerated into killings and looting of non indigenes property. Why must the government allow protest without adequate security arrangement to handle the unexpected from the demonstrators."
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