Lere Ojedokun and Francis Awowole-Browne
20 May 2004
Abuja and Lagos — National Secretariat of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has formally written Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, claiming that 3000 Christians were killed in the Kano mayhem.
Counting its losses, CAN said it recorded more misfortune during the crisis than the Muslims.
As the national body reeled out statistics of the losses, its branches in Kaduna and Sokoto states warned on the dangers of emergency rule in Plateau State to the unity of Muslims and Christians in the North.
In the letter to Wabara signed by CAN National Secretary, Mr S.L.S. Salifu, the national body said the casualty figure of Christians was high.
The group, citing "information available" to it alleged that 30 churches and over 200 houses belonging to Christians have been destroyed while over 90 Christian students were killed at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and the Federal College of Education (FCE), Bichi.
Another six Christian lecturers from the institutions were also allegedly killed while claiming that so far, the total number of lives lost was 3,000
On the displaced persons' camps in Bompai and Bukabu, CAN said there were 15,000 people living there as refugees even as it maintained that in comparison to the crisis in Wase, Plateau State in April 2001 Christians suffered greatly.
According to the body, while 467 houses were burnt in the latter, eight persons were killed but CAN did not specify the Christian-Muslim ratio.
"There is need for equity and equity therefore demands that a state of emergency be also slammed on Kano State. Otherwise our teeming members see the measure taken against Plateau as selective and therefore unjust.
"We therefore, request that the National Assembly make a quick and thoough review of the imposition of a state of emergency in Plateau and come up with an equitable judgement," the body demanded.
Secretaries of CAN in Kaduna and Sokoto states Revs Joseph Hayab and Karatu Rikoto respectively have declared a three-day fasting and prayer for an end to the carnage and alleged plan to wipe out Christians in the North. The prayer starts Friday.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos over situations in Kano and Plateau states, where lives had been lost to religious strife and hundreds of people displaced, the clerics said events in the two states were masterminded by Islamic terrorists using northern Muslims.
They condemned governors of the states for being willing tools in the hands of terrorists, in the bid to displace Christians in the region alleging that certain policies of the governors were targeted at Christians.
The CAN scribes who expressed worry at consequences of the latest action of President Olusegun Obasanjo, warned that the manner in which he went about resolving the crises may create more problems for government.
Urging the President to apologise to the association, for insulting it through the Plateau State Chairman Rev. Yakubu Pam, the secretariat demanded the convocation of a conference of all stakeholders in the country to discuss "unity of the various nationalities in the entitly called Nigeria."
Revs Hayab and Rikoto urged government to embrace a round table discussion on the continued co-existence of the different faiths in Nigeria.
The CAN leaders described as fleingy excuse that Governor Joshua Dariye was always travelling out of the state and thus was not around when crisis broke out.
"This is an empty allegation. Which of the governors does not travel as much as he does? Many of the crises that took place in Jigawa State happened in the absence of Gov. Saminu Taraki, nobody raised eyebrow:
"Nigerians have to rise up to reject a situation where issues bordering on lives are turned to political matters that are played with," they argued.
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