Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the hierarchy of the Department of State Services (DSS) to stop the incessant harassment of Christian Clerics and to adhere strictly to their duties which is to prevent terrorists from succeeding in the large scale carnage and violence against the citizenry.
HURIWA was reacting against the backdrops of reported invitations for questioning of the Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu, Reverend Father Camilus Ejike Mbaka and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Rt.Reverend Dr. Mathew Hassan Kukah by the Department of States Services (DSS). Whilst Bishop Kukah is reportedly being invited over his Christmas Day Sermon in which he carpeted the Federal government for going it soft with kidnappers, terrorists and armed Fulani militia in the North of Nigeria, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka on his own part is quoted to have disclosed that his prayers for the detained leader of the now proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was responsible for the anonymous invitation he received from the DSS.
But in a Statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National director of media Miss Zainab Yusuf, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) said it was unpatriotic, unconstitutional and illegal for the publicly funded security agency such as the Department of State Services otherwise known as State Security Services (SSS) to be manipulated by the powers-that-be in Abuja to be deployed as the attack dogs against only Christian leaders especially those who raise their voices against the heightened state of insecurity in Nigeria whereas the same agency under the control of the executive arm of government has consistently looked the other way when provocative, hate-filled speeches are made by notable Moslem CLERICS against Christians particularly.
HURIWA said it was unimaginable that in the twenty first century period, that Nigeria which professes to be governed in compliances with statutes, Laws and the Grundnorm which is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended), that persons appointed to head specific security institutions have decided to deploy their agents against certain leaders of some sections of the Country who are not from the same Ethno-Religious affiliations with either President Muhammadu Buhari, the mainstream Service Chiefs and the Director General of the Department of State Services only because these Christian leaders simply exercised their constitutionally guaranteed rights of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION to state their Democratic opinions on the unprecedented situation of SECURITY of lives and property of Nigerians which has degenerated to abysmal levels.
“HURIWA is miffed that a prominent Nigerian bishop has reportedly been ordered in for questioning by a state security agency, after the prelate criticized Nigeria’s government for complicity in the face of kidnappings and other persecution of the country’s Christians.”
“HURIWA is scandalised that the respected Cleric Bishop Matthew Kukah, who leads the Sokoto diocese in Nigeria’s northwestern zone, released a Christmas message in which he said the government, led by president Muhammadu Buhari, seems to have left the fate of Nigerians in the hands of “evil men”, and this innocuous but truthful statement from a Servant of God is being viewed as a threat against the interest of the cabal running government in Abuja”.
“It is a sacred and undeniable truth encompassed in the well articulated Christmas Speech in which His Eminence Bishop Kukah decried the fact that over 100 girls abducted by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram have yet to be found, as well as “hundreds of other children whose captures were less dramatic”.
“We condemn this aggression against the Church and against the Body of Christ by the current federal government headed by the Katsina born Moslem former Military General Muhammadu Buhari. This harassment must stop unless this government does not mean well for Nigeria”.
“Why the morbid fear for the truth? Is it not true that hundreds of women of Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States are being raped by terrorists and yet not one of these violent rapists are ever charged for these crimes against humanity? Is it not true that thousands of people are being kidnapped, killed, maimed, humiliated, raped, all around Nigeria and the government seemed overwhelmed to take steps to bring this situation of anarchy and doom to an end? Is it not true that armed Fulani terrorists are on rampage all over Nigeria and the government which loaded the headship of all key security institutions with Fulani Moslems have failed to arrest these mass killers waging campaigns of genocides and land grabbing war of attrition?”
HURIWA said Bishop Kukah was right to have said thus: “Now, we are fully in the grip of evil. Today, a feeling of vindication only saddens me as I have watched the north break into a cacophony of quarrelsome blame games over our tragic situation. A catalogue of unprecedented cruelty has been unleashed on innocent citizens across the Northern states. In their sleep, on their farmlands, in their markets, or even on the highway, innocent citizens have been mowed down and turned into burnt offerings to gods of evil.”
HURIWA said it is throwing her weight behind Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah and warned the head of the DSS not to send the wrong signal that he is in office to advance through illegality, the sectarian interests of Moslems or the few members of cabal who don’t even mind that hundreds of thousands of their fellow Moslems and their Christian compatriots are daily being KILLED, maimed, raped, humiliated and dehumanized by armed non state actors who are mostly of the Fulani ethnicity”.
HURIWA also carpeted the DSS for its continuous harassment of the Enugu State based Catholic Priest Reverend Father Camilus Ejike Mbaka who reportedly stated that he has just got an invitation after he publicly prayed for the detained leader of the now proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. HURIWA wondered why the DSS looked the other way when the Moslem CLERICS in Kaduna and Zaria made threatening statements targeting Christians.
HURIWA recalled that a leaked video of Sheik Gumi addressing a gathering recently circulated on social media.
Gumi who has been at the centre of the storm after he was seen frolicking with terrorists can be heard speaking in Hausa saying: “The military is made up of Muslim and non Muslim soldiers. And the Non Muslims are the ones who (commit)criminalities against the terrorists (referring to their communities being destroyed).
Similarly, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA pointed out that a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Uztaz Abubakar Salihu, has threatened to kill Christians in Nigeria if the Muslims are attacked again.
In a viral video, the Islamic cleric threatened to kill Christians in retaliation over the murder of 25 Fulani travellers, who were intercepted and killed recently by suspected Irigwe militia in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
It was reported then that the Fulani travellers were killed by suspected Irigwe militia at about 10.30 am on August 14, 2021, around the Gada-Biyu-Rukuba Road area in Jos, Plateau State.
The victims were said to be returning from the annual Zikr prayer in Bauchi State and heading for Ikare in Ondo State when they ran into irate youths mourning their kinsmen earlier killed by suspected herdsmen.
The cleric speaking in Hausa in a sermon recently had reportedly said, “I swear to God Almighty, if such ever occur again, there are Christians in Kaduna, there are Christians in Zamfara, there are Christians in Sokoto, there are in Katsina, Kebbi, there are Christians in Gombe, Damaturu and Yobe and there are major roads. We will also block the roads, waylaid Christian commuters.
“We are not fools and we are not afraid of anyone, there is no one we are afraid of. If nothing is done, we will take the law in our hands because no life is superior to others and I swear compensation must be paid for the lives of the people lost.
“I swear this will not go unpunished, we won’t accept this, action must be taken and if they don’t take action, we will also react in our states. Every infidel should prepare, he will leave the earth if nothing is done about our people that were killed in Jos. I swear we will revenge and you should know that the life of one Muslim is equivalent to 100 infidels. No life is greater than another.”
Full Transcript of Uztaz Abubakar Salihu Zaria’s inciting sermon.
“Here is my message to the infidels in Plateau 2x and to CAN Plateau and to CAN Nigeria in general. I am the one speaking, I am Alkali Abubaka Salihu Zaria. I swear to God almighty, if such ever occur again, there are Christians in Kaduna state, there are Christians in Zamfara state, there are Christians in Sokoto, there are in Katsina, Kebbi, there are Christians in Gombe, Damaturu and Yobe and there are major roads. We will also block the roads, waylaid Christian commuters.
“We are not fools and we are not afraid of anyone, (emphasis) there is no one we are afraid of. If nothing is done, we will take the law in our hands because no life is superior to others and I swear compensation must be paid for the lives of the people lost (Jos Muslim commuters).
“The nonsense they are doing to us is enough! And we challenge our leaders, we challenge our representatives, we don’t see their use, they are useless. Stupid and worthless people (leaders). You are enjoying ACs in your offices but don’t care about the lives of your people (talking about Muslims).
“Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai is far better, may God bless you. I swear to God, If that incident had happened in Kaduna state under Nasiru El-Rufai, they (Christians) would have been thought a serious lesson.
“Hausa Proverb….. you keep waylaying people of God and killing them for no just reason and they said we should kept quiet, anyone who said we should keep quiet, may God course his blessings and whoever doesn’t say amen to this, may God also course his blessings.
“They keep Killing God’s people without any reason. We here they kill us with weapons (talking about bandits), over there too they waylay and kill God’s people. The most baffling thing is that the commuters killed were not even citizens of Northern Nigeria, they were only traveling along the road, brethren if you watch the video, how they slaughtered persons, how they hit their heads on the pavement.
“Hello Mr President, Hello Mr Lalong the governor of Jos, you should mind yourself fa! You have to mind yourselves and be very careful, you have to be very careful. We are Nigerian indigenes, we are Citizens, we have rights too.
“They killed Our General, Alkali, they killed our Fulani leaders, they’ve also killed lots of God’s people. You block the road, stop vehicles, those vehicles are government vehicles, you brought out the passengers and slaughtered them one after the other and mutilated their flesh.
“Minister Pantami, we want to hear sermons from you, we want to hear sermons from your mouth. Under Jonathan’s government, they killed people. If an under and infidel’s government they killed people, so because a Muslim is the leader and people are killed we should talk????
“Did God send Buhari to us? I swear we won’t accept this, I swear we will not agree. It is compulsory for the government to take actions. They followed the people of God to Eid ground in Rukuba and slaughtered them, roasted their flesh and eat yet no action was taken but when one infidel (Christian) is killed in a beer parlour, people will keep mourning on the newspapers, like daily trust, weekly trusts, thisday etc. But our lives are of less value, I swear we won’t tolerate such, this will not happen.
“We have leadership in Islam, we are waiting for them to speak but we will never agree, we won’t accept this, killing of people is too much. They are claiming that Plateau is their state, Christian state, that’s a lie, let them do a census, let them count people and see. Who are the people that marry 4 wives, Muslims or infidels? Who gathers 50 children on earth, Muslim or infidels? They answered (Muslims)”.
Lies and worthless lies!
“I swear this will not go unpunish, we won’t accept this, and action must be taken and if they don’t take action, we will also react in our states. Every infidel (Christian) should prepare, he will leave the earth if nothing is done about our people that were killed in Jos. I swear we will revenge and you should know that the life of one Muslim is equivalent to 100 infidels (Christians). That is the truth, 1 Muslim’s life is equal to 100 infidels. No life is greater than another”.
It is either action if taking or they will see what they don’t like’, He concluded by saying some Muslim prayers in Arabic”, the inciting sermon concludes.
HURIWA CONDEMNS the DSS for looking away from inviting the aforementioned Islamic Clerics who made incendiary statements and openly threatened Christians but the DSS is persistently harassing Christians such as Bishop Kukah, Fr Mbaka, Pastor Suleiman but even when Gumi incited terrorists against Christian Soldiers, he was never invited. HURIWA has therefore urged the DSS to be patriotic and to stop using the instrumentality of their office and their positions today to intimidate and harass Christians.
HURIWA quoted also the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, ad saying recently that he had received another invitation from the Department of State Services. Operatives of the DSS had in June 2021 visited the Adoration ground to deliver a letter of invitation to Mbaka.
Mbaka raised the alarm on Sunday that his life was no longer safe, saying an anonymous person brought another invitation to him for interrogation by the DSS.
He had earlier hinted about the invitation from the DSS in his New Year message during the crossover night service at the Adoration Ground, Emene, Enugu.
Mbaka pleaded with his followers to intensify prayers for him over the fresh travail, saying he did not do anything wrong to warrant the hunt.
“Anonymous brought a letter here inviting me to the DSS last year. Now, another anonymous has brought another letter from the DSS. Please, you must keep praying for Fr Mbaka,” he said.
He described his Adoration Ministry as an answer to the prayers of the church over the years.
He said, “If the Pope sees what is going on here, he will go to any length to protect it. Forget about what people are saying. Mbaka may not be the best, but God is using him to glorify his name.
“Look at the hundreds of thousands of people who are gathered here just to worship God in the Catholic Church. Anyone who is working against this kind of gathering must be a Satan incarnate. That person must be doing a special work for the devil.”
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