Civil Rights Advocacy Group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has appealed to the President of the United States of America Joe Biden, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Congress of the United States of America to urge the Nigerian Government to take steps to stop Islamic extremists from succeeding in their subterranean and openly brazen plots to cause religious war in Nigeria by killing one of Nigeria’s most respected Christian Icon- the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese Rt.Rev.Dr.Mathew Hassan-Kukah.
HURIWA said under no circumstances should any harm happen to Bishop Mathew Hassan-Kukah just as the Rights group said if the DSS fails to arrest the identified Islamic preachers that have made direct threats against Bishop Kukah, it should be taken as a message that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration supports these threats because the President is the Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces and the DSS operates at his beck and call. President Muhammadu Buhari would be held accountable should any harm come to Bishop Mathew Hassan-Kukah because on many occasions the President’s Spokesmen have openly accused Bishop Kukah of undermining the administration.
HURIWA has also expressed consternation and disappointment that the Holy See has maintained inexplicable silence even as Islamic Fundamentalists are waging silent war against Christians including the recent killing of a Christian girl and a 200 level Student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu who was openly stoned to death and burnt by a mob of Islamists in the presence of over 100 armed security forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. HURIWA has tasked the Vatican Representative in Nigeria to relate to Pope Francis about the ordeals that Christians are subjected to by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
HURIWA said there is now a carefully choreographed waves of attacks by armed Islamists all over the Country and especially in the North in such places as Borno, Bauchi and Sokoto States in which these murderous extremists apparently funded by some fifth columnists working towards achieving anarchy and doom in Nigeria are now framing up Christian girls for the so-called blasphemy and these Northern States are actually supportive of these mobsters committing crimes against humanity in the name of religion just as the Rights group said the World leaders must speak up now before religious war breaks out in Nigeria.
Specifically, HURIWA is worried that Islamic Clerics are making open and tendentious threats to kill the most respected Christian Leader of the contemporary Times who is the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto Rt.Rev.Dr. Mathew Hassan-Kukah only because he is a voice that condemns political corruption of the Federal Government and speaks out against all oppressive tendencies of government against not just the poor Christians of Nigeria but the entirety of the poor population in the Federation.
“We are worried that on many occasions these Islamic Clerics have been heard and seen on videos that are going viral making open threats to kill Bishop Kukah but the Department of State Services, the Police and all the armed security forces have feigned ignorance and even when their attention is called to these threats they do not take steps to arrest those issuing these death threats as if to say that those making these threats have the by-in and tacit support of the Federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari who has in anycase failed to check the expanding frontiers of terrorism waged on Nigerians by his Fulani kinsmen since the last 7 years.”
“HURIWA’S attention has been called to the video that has emerged of an Islamic cleric calling on his followers to ensure they kill the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah .
This is coming days after some Muslim youths lynched a female student, Deborah Yakubu, for alleged blasphemy in Sokoto.
Speaking in Hausa, the Islamic cleric described Bishop Kukah as “The pagans’ leader of Sokoto State. The video shared by a journalist, Simon Reef Musa , on his Facebook page, translates thus:
“The pagans’ leader of Sokoto state, Matthew Hassan Kukah, is said to have said something that I read on Facebook. Let him continue. I swear we shall kill him. We are not joking.“Let him continue. We must kill him. Let us desist from talking on this matter (killing of Deborah). She abused the prophet and may God bless the people who delivered instant judgement on her.
“Of course, there were mistakes because those sent did things they were not supposed to do. After being killed for abusing the prophet, why then engage in burning down property?”
HURIWA has therefore accused the security agents and the Federal government of conniving with armed and Islamic extremists to continue to issue threats against Bishop Kukah apparently because even the President has on many occasions insulted the respected Christian Leader for endeavouring to criticise the bad policies of the current government that has plunged Nigeria into a state of heightened insecurity and general climate of fear and reckless disregard for the sanctity of life.
HURIWA accused the Federal Government and the Northern Government of extending tacit supports to the Islamic mobs that are burning down Churches, places of businesses of Christians in Sokoto and the latest attacks in Bauchi over similar allegation of blasphemy as if to say Nigeria is now under a government of Islamic Mobsters.
HURIWA recalled that a pastor has allegedly been injured and many houses burnt by irate youths who went on the rampage over alleged blasphemy in the Katangan area of Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
HURIWA said trouble started when a message was allegedly circulated on social media that a Christian girl in the town allegedly engaged in blasphemy of Islam.
A source, who spoke to the media confirmed the incident, saying, “Yes, the incident is true. It is an aftermath of the incident of the alleged blasphemy that happened in Sokoto last week.
“What I learnt was that a Christian girl allegedly posted and commented on something on social media which has to do with the incident in Sokoto and that was how it started. The situation there is more than tension since many houses have been burnt down.”
HURIWA has therefore urge World leaders to act fast and put diplomatic pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to be a President for all and to give direct orders for armed Islamists causing chaos all over the Country to be brought under Control and to stop the mob killings and lynching of Nigerians in the name of any religion.
COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO:
NATIONAL COORDINATOR:
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). 21ST MAY 2022.
