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| Rev. Dr. Supo Ayokunle, President, NBC & CAN |
The Christian Association
of Nigeria (CAN) says it will resist any attempt to turn the country into a
refugee camp for Christians.
TheCable
report continues:
The
body also accused Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of choosing to be silent on
issues affecting them, despite being in office to “primarily represent the
interest of Christians”.
It
called on Osinbajo to intervene on the “clampdown on the church in Nigeria”,
and declared that Christians would no longer accept being treated as “common
criminals”.
“We
call on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to intervene in all the clampdown on the
Church in Nigeria. After all, he is in office primarily to represent the
interest of the Christians. His studied silence is no longer golden,” Supo
Ayokunle, president of the association said in a statement.
“It
is high time the overzealous security agencies knew that Nigeria remains a
secular state and any attempt to turn the country into a refugee camp for
Christians will not be acceptable and will be resisted with every lawful
means.”
Quoting
the constitution, Ayokunle said every Nigerian had the right to assemble freely
and associate with other persons.
“The
last time we checked sections 38-41 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) it
states clearly that every Nigerian is entitled to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief,
and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in
private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching,
practice and observance,” he said.
“The
constitution states unambiguously that ‘Every person shall be entitled to
freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and
impart ideas and information without interference.”
On
the attempted arrest of Johnson Suleiman, general overseer of Omega Fire
Ministries Worldwide, CAN said the Department of State Services (DSS) should
have extended an invitation to him, rather than using the “Gestapo approach”.
“Treating
ministers of God and our members as common criminals is unacceptable to the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Enough is enough! Despite all the
promises made by Governor Nasir el-Rufai, none of those who were responsible
for the killings of our members in the Southern Kaduna has been brought to
book,” he said.
“Instead the Police have been releasing those who were arrested for the killing of our members in Kano and Kubwa (Abuja) while our leaders are being subjected to untold hardship for just no cause.”
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