A school of thought in the country believes that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is systemically planted to persecute Christians and islamise Nigeria. To these set of people and observers, the claim by those who shouted on roof tops ahead of the 2015 and 2019 Presidential elections that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not hide his plan to turn the country to an Islamic state.
To this particular school of thought, the insurgency in the northeast, the rising rate of kidnapping across the country and the ravaging bloodshed by violent herdsmen are pointers that validate their assertions.
Recently the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) declared that Churches across the country should protest the alleged persecution of Christians in the country with a protest march across the streets of Nigeria. This was after a local leader of the body in Adamawa state, Lawan Andimi, was beheaded after his kidnap by terrorists in January.
“The level of insecurity in Nigeria today is such that whether at home or on the road, most Nigerians, in all the parts of the country, live in fear.” This was the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). “The repeated barbaric executions of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group and other terrorists have traumatised many citizens.
“That the perpetrators of these heinous crimes make public shows of them on social media and Nigerians do not hear of any arrests or prosecution of the criminals which raises grave questions about the ability and willingness of the government to protect the lives of the ordinary Nigerians,” the bishops said.
According to officials of CAN, Andimi who was an ordained minister in Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), served as EYN District Secretary for the Michika area, and was chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the Michika area, was killed because he refused to renounce his faith.
Since 2018, Dapchi School girl, Leah Sharibu, remains in captivity of the terrorists, who claimed she was not released along with her mates due to her refusal to denounce her faith. The government of President Buhari though vowed to do everything within its power to reunite the kidnapped girl with her parents, efforts are yet to yield positive result.
To however say that the country is polarised along religious lines is no gainsaying. But the Federal Government recently raised the alarm that Boko Haram insurgents are attacking Christians to divide the country.
It said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has no systematic campaign to persecute Christians in Nigeria.
It said since the insurgents were feeling hurt by troops, they have opted to be targeting Christians to cause chaos.
It pleaded with religious leaders not to fall for the war antics of Boko Haram.
It however explained that troops were winning the war including the recent killing of the Chief Judge of Boko Haram.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, speaking to journalists in Abuja recently, said, “Recall that Boko Haram insurgents didn’t use to discriminate between Christians and Muslims when they carried out their attacks in the past. Churches and mosques, Christians and Muslims were attacked without discrimination.
“When they targeted motor parks, the religion, gender, ethnicity or political leaning of the victims didn’t matter,as long as they inflicted the maximum damage to lives and property.
“But in the wake of a renewed onslaught by our tireless military against Boko Haram and their ISWAP allies in recent times, the insurgents have apparently changed their strategy:
“They have started targeting Christians and Christian villages for a specific reason, which is to trigger a religious war and throw the nation into chaos.
“Apparently, they have realised how emotive and divisive religion can be, when exploited by unscrupulous persons.
“Lest I am misunderstood, let me repeat: the insurgents, who delude themselves as Muslims whereas they are nothing more than blood-thirsty, rapacious killers who subscribe to no religion, have recently started targeting Christians with a view to sowing the seed of confusion between the two great religions.
“This did not in any way signify that they have stopped attacking Muslims. But they seem to now have a deliberate policy of attacking Christians.
“The attack on a Christian village, Kwarangulum, near Chibok; the killing of the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government in Adamawa, Lawan Andimi; the killing of Ropvil Daciya Dalep, a student who was also a member of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) and the killing of 11 Christians on Christmas eve, etc, fit into this new strategy.
“Some have misinterpreted this to insinuate a systematic campaign to persecute Christians in Nigeria.
“This is absurd, and very unfair to the men and women who are daily battling the insurgents.
“The truth is that, having run out of options in their battle against Nigeria, the insurgents are desperate to stay relevant, to stay in the news, hence their cowardly and senseless strategy targeting Christians, as part of their increasing resort to the use of Guerilla tactics.
For the government, Christian leaders have the responsibility to show understanding and closely monitor the antics of the insurgents so as not to mislead faithful.CAN has consistently accused the government of not doing enough to protect Christian’s in the country.
The minister appealed to religious leaders want to not to fall for “this desperate move by the insurgents, not to allow them to divide us as a people and weaken our resolve to deal the insurgents the mortal blow.
“In addition, we must also give our unalloyed support to the military, which has also upped the ante against the insurgents.
“The resort to the increasing use of Guerilla tactics by the insurgents is a sign of weakness on their part. Contrary to the belief in certain quarters, these insurgents are getting weaker by the day, thanks to the gallantry of our men and women in uniform.”
The Minister insisted that troops were doing well in curtailing Boko Haram insurgency.
