By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Indigenous Christian communities in Yobe State have decried the rising cases of abduction of their underage girl child forcefully converter to Islam and married out without the consent of their biological parents.
The case of Musa Mathias Bayaro, daughter of late Mathias Bayaro and family is a typical and classical example.
Matthias family is crying out to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the abduction of two of their daughters, saying they’re still in the hands of abductors they described as Islamic Religious Affairs group in Yobe state.
According to the victims Senior brother Musa Mathias, his family later petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Abuja, and confirmed that their two daughters and one other Christian girl abducted at different times are still with the Islamic Religious Affairs abductors in Damaturu Yobe state capital.
Earlier, the Director General, Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnicity in Nigeria, Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, had in a statement, raised an alarm, alleging rampant cases of forceful abduction of underaged Christian girls by the Islamic group in Yobe and Borno states, abused and forcefully converted them to Islam and married out without the consent of their biological Christian parents.
However, in a chat with the Senior brother of two abducted girls recently, Musa Mathias Bayaro confirmed the information and said they saw their sisters but were not allowed to carry them from the custody of their abductors, appealing to IGP to come to their aid.
“The girls are still in their hands sir, the Islamic religious affair and the forceful adductors. They’re with Islamic religious affairs sir: Cecelia Mathias Bayaro, Linda Mathias Bayaro and two others, Veronica Mathias, Jara David respectively. But I believe God will fight for us”, he lamented.
In a letter of petition to IGP, made available to our correspondent by Musa Mathias, dated March 17th July 2024, stated that Cecilia Mathias was at Godada village in Fika LGA, to enable her travel to Damaturu Yobe State to participate in a youth wing convention when the incident occurred.
The petition is titled: Re-complaint on abduction against a group called Islamic religious affairs (Aka moral) and one Mallam Idi, district head of shembre 12th July 2024″, with acknowledgements of IGP office stamp, dated July 2024, bearing Maryamu Mathias, a Senior sister of the victims, for the family.
Parents of those who attempted to challenged the ugly trend in protests were reportedly made to face severe government wrath by using bodies such as Islamic Religious Affairs, Ministry, Islamic Jihad terrorism Sharia Law, as well as Sharia Jihad terrorism courts in the states, to harassed and intimidated them from further protest, he said.
According to family members, Christian leader, lawyer and the activist of Borno and Yobe extractions, the number of those abducted and forcefully converted to Islam and married out without the consent of their biological parents are on the increase, uncontrollably in Yobe state.
The most recent cases include that of Four Christian girls abducted from Gadaga district Garin-Goge village in Fika LGA in Yobe state by the Muslims youths allegedly recruited for purposes.
In particular, the abductions of Christian girls which top on the news currently are known as Cecilia Mathias, Veronica Mathias, Linda Mathias and Jara David.
Musa Mathias Bayaro, who spoke to our correspondent in grieves, lamented that their Father, Mathias Bayaro died in 2019 when the first incident of abduction of their younger sister took place.
He also expressed suspicion that the Yobe state Governor is in the known of the incidents: “I believe government, our Governor is aware of all these things, because he use to sponsor them”, he alleges.
On how can you conclude that the Governor is behind it, Musa said, “You know they’ve their group, called Islamic Religious Affairs (AKA Moral). So, the moment they take your person to them you’ve no power.
“You fight it with the police nothing happen. And even this one we’re fighting now, we’ve written to the IGP office 3 times and no action was taken. This incident of abduction happened in March 2024 while the first one happened in 2019.
“Two of my sisters, one of our neighbor’s daughter and one of our uncle daughter’s abductions happened in 2019. The one of our neighbor’s daughter happened in 2023, in Goge village, our village, in Fika LGA. No Muslims girl has been abducted”, he lamented.
On whether it could be bandits or terror group that came for their abductions, Musa disagreed sharply, saying “They’re not bandits. The recent one we’re fighting now happened on a Sunday; we went to the police station, after leaving there, one of the traditional rulers sent his messenger to called my mother almost after 10-11 pm in the night.
“When my mother went there, he told her that her daughter is in Damaturu with Muslims religious affairs. If you want to see your daughter you people should go there. So, I take money from one of my either sisters and tell a lawyer and one of my uncles to go there”, he said.
Musa who spoke extensively said “When they went there, the commissioner of the religious affairs ministry said no, they didn’t bring any girl to them this year. After that when we write to Abuja, to IGP office, when they ask the commissioner of police they said yes the girl is with them.
“I tried again, we write to the IGP, I’m waiting for their feedback now.
“My Dad died in 2019 after that first abduction happen”, he narrated.
