Lagos — NATIONAL President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government to take immediate steps to stem the spate of ethno-religious crises in the North or risk violent disruptions of the democratic process.

He also appealed to President Umaru Yar'Adua to urgently call to order former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima, saying his "unguided and inflammatory utterances are capable of plunging the nation into crises of unimaginable proportions."

Oritsejafor's warnings came on the heels of a call on the Bauchi State Government by an Islamic group in Bauchi, the Jama'atu Shababil Islam, last weekend to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the cause of the recent crisis that erupted in the state capital.

Public Relations Officer of the organization Sa'ad Adam, said setting up the commission would enable government identify factors responsible for the crisis.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, Pastor Oritsejafor said unless the Federal Government took urgent steps to arrest the growing trend of using religious intolerance to settle perceived political scores, Christian leaders in the country may no longer be able to restrain youths in their fold from taking reprisal measures to defend themselves.

In his first official reaction to the recent Bauchi religious riots - the second in two years - the PFN president warned that the mindless killings of innocent Nigerians in the name of religion was no longer acceptable to the leadership of PFN.

Pastor Oritsejafor noted that certain religious bigots have continued to undermine the numerous appeals of the good-natured Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar 111, who has traversed the length and breadth of the country, suing for peaceful co-existence.

Oritsejafor recalled that he and the Sultan in Bauchi on December 31, 2007 on a peace mission after that year's violent crisis.

According to him, the governor promised the delegation in the presence of the current Secretary to the Federal Government, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, who was then the Minister of Defence, that he would pay compensation to the affected victims of that crisis.

The pastor lamented that he was yet to hear of any such compensation to any of the victims of the 2007 violent crisis, pointing out that both Christianity and Islam preach love for one another, peace and tolerance. He therefore wondered why certain persons should kill fellow human beings who were created by the same God.

"It is preposterous for a human being created by God to burn down places built for the worship of the same God. Not even in the Middle East," Oritsejafor lamented, adding that it leaves a sour taste in the mouth to learn that God's creature will kill another creature of God in the name of religion.

Said he: "After consultations with Christian leaders, especially the youths who rolled out frightful statistics to show how many persons have been killed in different parts of the North since 1999, I am left with no other option than to make this passionate appeal to the Yar'Adua Administration.

No other cheek to turn

"They told me in tears that after losing their commercial ventures to some mindless religious bigots, they believe they can no longer continue on this path of turning the other cheek because they had been beaten on both cheeks.

"The youth leaders vowed to employ any means available to defend themselves their places of worship and their businesses in any part of the country," he said, adding "we have turned both cheeks and we have no other option than to defend ourselves in any part of this country whenever we come under attack again."

Continuing, the PFN boss further warned the Federal Government to move fast because a "drastic problem requires a drastic solution, because the state we are gradually gravitating towards, can only remind us of the events that lead to the last civil war in 1966.

"Please save this country from imminent danger of a major religious war, which if begins might be too catastrophic for the nation as a whole," he pleaded with the political class, who he accused of always instigating the unemployed youths of the North to foment trouble.

"If you love this country so much and you must fight to defend it through religious wars, then bring your children from overseas to carry cudgels, arms and petrol."

Enough of the killings

"We strongly appeal to the Federal Government to, as a first step to the resolution of the protracted crisis, all identified sponsors and perpetrators of past crisis in different parts of the country must now be brought to justice in the interest of peaceful co-existence.

"In addition, all laws in parts of this country that impede people from their constitutional rights to freedom of worship must be abrogated with immediate effect.

The right of Nigerians to freedom of faith is clearly spelt out in the 1999 constitution and any other enactment that is contrary to that, especially with regards to indigeneship issues should be immediately expunged from our statutes," he added.

"A stitch in time," he said "saves nine. Nigeria reputed to be the most religious nation on earth has played host to the highest number of religious uprisings which have claimed thousands of innocent lives."

JSI calls for commision of inquiry

However, the Jama'atu Shababil Islam, an Islamic organization has said that it has facts and figures on the causes of the crisis. In a statement, the group said: "We are also ready to present fact and figures that were responsible for the cause; we have gathered the names of all the crusaders who initiated the crisis by burning the mosque and houses of Muslims as well as Police numbers of the crusaders in uniform who killed about three Muslims."

According to the statement, the group claimed to have names of the crusaders who were instructed to initiate the crisis in Yelwa which they did by setting one house ablaze and in the process, were captured and handed over to the Yelwa Divisional Police Officer."