The Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),has raised an alarm over alleged plans by terrorists to carry out attacks on Christian communities in the northern parts of the country.
Chairman of Northern CAN, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, who raised the alarm while addressing journalists during a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, warned against attempts by terrorists to fuel religious division in the region, stressing that Nigerians must not allow violence to pitch Christians and Muslims against one another.
Rev. Hayab noted that growing security intelligence suggests a deliberate ploy by terrorist groups, allegedly sponsored locally and internationally, to destabilise northern Nigeria by targeting Christians in states such as Niger, Kwara, and Kogi, with the aim of escalating religious tension.
According to Hayab, such attacks are designed to steer the problem into a religious conflict, but Nigerians must collectively resist that agenda.
“We must warn our people that we will not be divided by these actions. Instead, we must remind our security agencies and government to step up and defeat this common enemy,” he stressed.
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The CAN Chairman emphasised that the loss of any life in Nigeria is a national tragedy, regardless of faith or ethnicity, adding that if one life is lost in Nigeria, it is a Nigerian life that is lost, adding that violence against any group diminishes the country’s shared humanity.
He emphasized that Islamic teachings which reinforces the message of unity, must be carried to adherents by Muslim leaders, reminding them that the Qur’an teaches that killing one person is akin to killing all of humanity.
“These are religious teachings we must return to, whether we fully understand them or not. If this teaching is taken seriously, then Muslims themselves must rise and take ownership of this issue.
“Whoever kills a fellow Nigerian under whatever name or excuse must be exposed. That is how we give our faith a good name and stop enemies of progress from tarnishing us, either as believers or as a region,” he stressed.
Rev. Hayab further noted that no group has the right to force others out of northern Nigeria, insisting that coexistence is non-negotiable.
“Nobody is going to chase anybody out of this region. Whether you like it or not, whether you agree with me or not, we will remain here together.
“We are here together because God has placed us here. Let us take advantage of that,” he said.
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