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Killing Christians Is The Only Offence Without Accountability – Kukah

Published

3 weeks ago

August 24, 2024

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has strongly condemned the ongoing persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria, expressing deep concern over the lack of accountability for those responsible for attacks on the Christian community.

Speaking virtually at the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria Eko Subordinate Council in Lagos, Bishop Kukah lamented that no individual has been prosecuted for the numerous incidents of violence against Christians in the region.

Kukah highlighted the troubling trend of impunity, where attacks on Christians, including the burning of churches and the destruction of Christian properties, go unpunished. He cited specific examples of violence, such as the public slaughter of a pastor in Adamawa, the killings of priests in Benue and Kaduna, and the broader climate of fear and discrimination faced by Christians in the North.

The bishop also criticized the ethnic and religious polarization that has tainted the Christian faith in Nigeria, urging for a more unified and inclusive approach to Christianity across the country. He called on Christians to rise above ethnic divisions and to see the suffering of Christians in any part of Nigeria as a shared concern.

Kukah’s remarks come in the wake of numerous incidents where Christians have been denied the right to build churches or have been subjected to violence without any legal recourse. He emphasized that the challenges facing Christians in Nigeria today require courage and resilience, invoking the concept of martyrdom as a symbol of the daily struggles faced by believers

Despite the risks, Bishop Kukah reaffirmed his commitment to his ministry in Sokoto, underscoring his belief that the Christian mission must continue in the face of adversity.

He said;

If you look at our country – Nigeria, the issue is that, in Northern Nigeria, Christians constitute some of the groups that you can kill without consequences. You can ask yourself has anybody ever been charged for burning churches or for destroying Christian properties. A pastor was slaughtered openly in Adamawa. People, priests were killed in Benue. Priests have been killed in Kaduna.

“It seems as if killing Christians is the only thing the world can do without consequences. That means that if you are serious as Christians, Catholics, what happens to the church in Ikwerre, what happens to the church in Sokoto, what happens to the church in Onitsha, what happens to the church everywhere in this country should affect us. Tragically, you know, Christianity has become largely subordinated to ethnicity.

“Many people today still have a caliphate mentality that those who are not part of us must be against us. And this is the fate of Christians and Christianity in many parts of Northern Nigeria today, where Christianity is being tolerated. Christians are being denied lands to build churches, and it is not seen as a problem. In a place like Kenya, I have a problem of that nature right now as we talk.

We must preach the gospel, welcome or unwelcome. Preaching the gospel has no political and ethnic boundaries. It is not about friendship. If it is about friendship, Jesus would have said to Peter, get behind me. When we are confronted, martyrdom is not just about being killed. Because, of course, in the end, you are killed for speaking the truth. I remember in the days of Abacha, many times people used to say to me, oh Bishop, if you don’t keep quiet, you will be killed for nothing.

“I am saying so because we now need to come to terms with the essence that every day of our lives as Christians, we are challenged to martyrdom. Martyrdom because a sword is dangling before us. Martyrdom because we have a country, we have a society, we have a world that is so morally broken that every day the whole question of what is right and what is wrong has been circumscribed by the circumstances in which we find ourselves. When martyrdom comes to us, we embrace it, we are not in retreat.

“The challenge, therefore, is for us to come to terms with these realities and how they can be addressed. Here in Sokoto, for example, I have lost a seminarian, I have lost a priest, my priests have been kidnapped, not once, not twice. But my immediate reaction is that in all of this, we are only inspired. People look at me and they say to me, why are you going back to Sokoto? I remember when Deborah was killed, I was out of Sokoto. People were saying to me, how are you going back to Sokoto? When my seminarian, my priest, was kidnapped and released last month, people asked if I was still going back to Sokoto.”

News

Kogi phone market, catches f!re property worth millions d*maged

Published

2 hours ago

September 12, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Fire has gutted a market following a fire outbreak at a GSM village around Kpata market in Lokoja the Kogi State capital.

It was gathered that the fire outbreak started in the early hours of Thursday due to a power upsurge.

It was further learnt that shop owners could not salvage anything from the fire after it got out of control.

One of the traders in the market, Muhammed Yahaya who lost his goods to the fire narrated the incident saying, “Somebody called me around 5:30 am today that the market is on fire. On getting there, many shops have already been burnt down. So we tried to look at the actual cause of the fire outbreak. From all indications so far, we were told by the people that stay within that the power voltage they brought was high.

“The neighbouring houses there said it affected their fans, light and other things. Actually, this might be the cause of the fire outbreak in the market. Millions of naira worth of goods have been destroyed. Laptops, phones and accessories got burnt. The most unfortunate thing is that most of these people just received their goods this week. It has never happened before. It is still a big shock to every one of us who owns shop in the market”.

He appealed to the Kogi State Government to intervene by assisting those who lost their goods financially and rebuilding the GSM village.

“We know we have a Governor that has a listening ear. He is a father to us. As you can see, we are Youths who are resourceful. Most of us are graduates, and we are not waiting for the Government to provide jobs for us. We created the jobs on our own.

“The properties that we have been nurturing for over 15 years got burnt within an hour. We want the government to look into it by assisting us financially and rebuilding the market. In this market, we have about 200 Youths who are engaged in this kind of business. People were hungry before this happened” he added.

Also Speaking to newsmen, the Financial Secretary, Kogi Association of Phones and Accessories Dealers, (KAPAD) Moses Felix said the incident has affected him physically, mentally and emotionally.

According to him, I was crying this morning when my shop got burnt. I couldn’t do anything. I am into laptop repairs and sales. My goods that arrived this week got burnt completely, so am starting from scratch.

“I am a married Man with kids. Where do I go from here and how can I feed my family in the midst of this economic hardship? The Government should come to our aide. We provide jobs for people. I have like three boys that are working for me who are under my payroll. Definitely, they are going back home without job,” Felix lamented

As of the time of filing this report, fire service officials were making efforts to put out the fire.

News

Sad! Popular Nollywood producerr, Shina Sanyaolu, is dead

Published

2 hours ago

September 12, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Popular Nollywood producerr, Shona Sanyaolu is dead.

The deceased was a popular film producer and director in the Yoruba genre of the Nollywood industry.

The cause and details surrounding his death remain sketchy as of the time of this report.

The President, Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Bolaji Amusan, confirmed Sanyaolu’s death.

“Sleep well uncle Shina Sanyaolu,” he wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday.

Also reacting to the development, a veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, said the deceased touched so many lives positively.
“Shina Sanyaolu was just not a remarkable man, he was a beacon of kindness and warmth to all who had the privilege of knowing him.

“His love for arts and his unwavering support for our industry were unmatched. Shina was always there for us, offering a helping hand and opening doors where there seemed to be none.

“For those of us who traveled to the UK in the 80s, he made it feel like home. Welcoming us with open arms, giving us a place to stay and even taking time off from his busy life to drive us around.

“Shina your generosity knew no bounds and your spirit touched countless lives. You were truly a rare gem. The world feels emptier without you but we take solace in knowing that your legacy lives in the hearts you have touched.”

Sanyaolu contributed to the production of ‘The Honourable’, ‘Two Wives’, and ‘Omo Olosan’.

News

Additional troops deployed in Zamfara as Turji’s ‘N30m protection levy’ deadline expires

Published

3 hours ago

September 12, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

More soldiers have been deployed in Moriki town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, as the deadline for payment of N30m levy imposed on the community by the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, has expired.

Turji imposed a levy of N30m on the community following the killing of over 100 cows belonging to him, allegedly by the military personnel about three weeks ago.

It was learnt that the cows were intercepted by the soldiers at Dumfawa, a village between Moriki and Shinkafi town sometime in August.

Confirming the deployment, a resident of the area, Aminu Musa, said more soldiers were deployed to the area some days ago.

“Beside the soldiers, the state government also sent more personnel of its security outfit, Community Protection Guards (CPG) to the area to complement the conventional security personnel.

“We are happy because the presence of security personnel gives us a kind of relief. The leader of the troop had assured us adequate protection of our lives.”

Another resident, Iliyasu Ali, said despite deployment of additional security personnel, there was anxiety among the residents”.

“There is panic and worries among the residents. These bandits are heartless. They could dare the military personnel and attack the community. They are carrying more sophisticated weapons than the military. So, our people are in serious panic as the deadline for the payment of levy ends today.

“Only God knows what will happen from today upward. Of course, we have not paid the levy but Turji has promised to sack this community if we fail to compensate for his missing cows,” he concluded.

Efforts to speak to the village head of Moriki, Alhaji Bashar Isma’il Ari, proved abortive as his phone was switched off when this reporter put a call to him.

On Tuesday, Chief of Defence Staff, Chris Musa, said the days of Turji are numbered, announcing that his men had launched a manhunt for the bandit.

Credit: Daily Trust