2-IN-1 STORY: Herdsmen Kill ECWA Pastor, Dismember Body … Catholic Priests Protest In Enugu

Reverend Zakariya “Righteous Teacher”@uncanny.sam

A clergyman of the Evangelical Church of West Africa, Reverend Zakariya, has been killed by attackers suspected to be herdsmen in Nasarawa State.

The Punch report continues:

Three of the killed pastor’s children are said to be in the university.

Zakariya was murdered on Thursday on his farm by yet-to-be-identified assailants in Obi Local Government Area of the state.

According to a Twitter user, @uncanny_sam, who announced the death of the clergyman, Zakariya will be buried on Tuesday.

“My late uncle, Rev. Zakariya was killed Thursday by herdsmen in Obi LGA of Nasarawa State. They attacked him on his farm, cut off his arms and legs; then they chopped his head with machete. I received a call on Thursday evening that my uncle, a pastor with ECWA was killed by Fulani herdsmen.”

The nephew of the murdered pastor in a series of tweets called on the Federal Government and Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, to find the killers of his uncle.

“All I want is justice to be done. Nasarawa State and the Federal Government must find the killers of my uncle. Whoever is close to Governor Al-Makura of Nasarawa State should please inform him that we demand the perpetrators should be brought to book.

“We have become preys that are hunted by marauding beasts in our land. I will keep shouting till justice is done. For how long will we suffer? He has left a very young family; three of his children are currently in the university. No one is saying anything about the clandestine killings by Fulani herdsmen happening almost every day,” he said.

Late Zakariya’s nephew lamented that relevant security agencies were not doing enough to protect innocent citizens from violent attacks by suspected herdsmen.

“No one is saying anything about it, clandestine killing by Fulani herdsmen happens almost every day. Does a life of a Nigerian mean anything to our government? If yes, then Rev. Zakariya deserves justice. Why are we so insecure in our land? When will we be free from the shackles of insecurity?

“The death of Rev. Zakariya must not be in vain. This barbaric and despicable act must stop. I plead with everyone that has re-tweeted and quoted my tweets to please help me demand for justice for Zakariya; his death must not be in vain. Isn’t life sacrosanct anymore?” he stated.

The nephew stated that herdsmen in the state usually kill people for no reason, adding that killing has become a hobby for herdsmen in the state.

“The biggest question is: who will defend us from these marauding beasts? This carnage must be stopped. Your government (Al-Makura) vows to secure our land but we have never been this insecure. Security is one of your cardinal objectives but the security in our land today is unprecedented,” Zakariya’s nephew said on Twitter.

… Catholic Priests Protest In Enugu

Photo: NAN

The Punch reports that the Catholic Church in Enugu State on Saturday held mass rallies protesting violent activities of herdsmen in the state.

The three Catholic dioceses in the state, Nsukka, Awgu and Enugu, staged separate rallies and expressed their anger at the menace posed by herdsmen.

Priests and lay members of the Catholic Church turned out in their thousands for the peaceful rallies in Nsukka and Awgu dioceses.

However, the Enugu Catholic diocese shelved its plan to march to the Government House, where they intended to deliver a petition to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

The Diocese had earlier announced that it would march from the Holy Ghost Cathedral, through the streets of Enugu metropolis, to the Government House on Saturday.

The march was tagged “Diocesan peaceful prayerful protest march.”

But the planned march failed to hold after Ugwuanyi and some members of the state executive council visited the church.

Our correspondent learnt that the church leadership called off the march after they were informed of an alleged plan by miscreants to hijack the event.

The miscreants allegedly including pro-Biafra activists, planned to use the protest march to cause a breakdown of law and order.

Addressing the Catholic faithfuls at the cathedral during the visit, Ugwuanyi said his administration was determined to protect lives and property in the state.

He said, “On the issues you have raised in this rally, I wish to state that I address you today not only as a Catholic but as your governor and the Chief Security Officer of Enugu State.  While taking my oath of office, I swore to do everything within my powers to preserve the security of lives and property of the people of Enugu State.

“You can therefore be assured that I will not fail in this responsibility and be further assured that whatever message you convey through me to the appropriate authorities at Abuja, will be promptly delivered.”

The church also made known its opposition to the proposed grazing bill in a joint press statement read by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev. Callistus Onaga, and the bishops of Awgu and Nsukka dioceses.

“The free grazing of cattle in our area has now become a threat not only to the growing of crops, which is the mainstay of our sedentary people, but also to our lives. The nomadic lifestyle makes policing and the pursuit of criminals much more complex and hazardous, while providing terrorists like Boko Haram operatives with ready cover for penetrating every nook and cranny of our country,” the statement said.