The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has cautioned those threatening the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, to stop their “unlawful” actions.
It also asked President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies to ensure the security of the cleric, who is under attacks from Muslim groups over his Christmas homily in which he accused the president of promoting northern hegemony.
This comes as Kukah said Nigeria has not recovered from wounds of the civil war, 51 years after it ended.
In a statement on Thursday, CAN’s General Secretary, Rev. Joseph Daramola, said it has been watching the ongoing controversy since Kukah spoke on the state of the nation in his Christmas homily and the threats directed at him from some people.
The statement came a day after the presidency cautioned an Islamic group that demanded that Kukah should apologise or quit Sokoto State for allegedly attacking Islam and Muslims, to back off.
Kukah, in the homily, had said that there could have been a coup if a non-northern Muslim president had done a fraction of what Buhari did.
The Muslim Solidarity Forum joined the fray on Tuesday, with a call on Kukah to apologise for his alleged attack on Islam and Muslims or leave the Caliphate.
CAN has, however, accused the security agencies of pretending as if nothing unusual is happening.
It wondered if those threatening the bishop are above the law or if they are sacred cows in the country.
It said: “We have studied the whole Christmas message of Dr. Kukah and we are yet to see any incitement against Islam or non- Christians. We see nothing wrong in his message to the nation that has been under the siege of terrorists, herdsmen, killers, bandits and kidnappers as if there was no government in place.
“We see nothing wrong in telling a government whose lopsided appointments are against Christians the whole truth.
“If criticism against a Muslim president today is an incitement to violence against Islam, it then means those who were criticising the duo of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan when they were in power were actually attacking Christianity.
“When has it become an offence to speak the truth to power? When has it become a crime to criticise a government in the country?”
The CAN wondered why security operatives have failed to arrest those threatening to attack the Bishop.
It added: “When did the police and the Directorate of the State Security Services lose their power to miscreants and lawless people who are making boasts of their lawlessness without a challenge? We wonder if those Muslim groups who are threatening to deal with Kukah got an equal response from their Christian counterparts, are we not setting up the country on fire?”
CAN said Kukah was posted to serve in Sokoto by God and threatening him to leave is a threat to Christianity worldwide.
What do you think of this readers, should he leave Sokoto by adhering to the word of God that says, “A wise servant, applies knowledge”……or he should stay and fight this threat till God ask him to return?
