CAN To El-Rufai: Tackle Banditry In Kaduna, Not Religious Preaching

Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been asked by the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to channel his strength toward ending insecurity in the state instead of tackling religious preaching.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the CAN leadership met on Monday over El-Rufai’s alleged bid to assent to a religious bill in the state despite the Kaduna High Court’s recent ruling that the state government lacked the powers to screen religious leaders in the state.

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The Kaduna CAN chairman, Joseph Hayab, had condemned the bill during a press conference the Christian body held yesterday in the state, describing it as “illegally aimed at obstructing religious preaching, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ”.

Hayab said at the end of the meeting: “It is no longer news that people within Kaduna state are repeatedly being robbed, abducted or killed by bandits, often identified as herdsmen almost on a daily basis.

“Manifestly, the government seems to have failed in its key responsibility of safeguarding lives and property of the people since armed bandits now, than ever before, continue to cause hapless citizens havoc at any time they so wish without fear of being captured.

“Consequently, families and relations have had to cough out huge sums of money, amid scarce resources, to pay ransom to kidnappers to have their abducted relations freed.

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“Therefore, the problem that should be of grave disquiet to the government of Kaduna state and the front burner is the way to secure our territory from the intrusion of armed bandits instead of compounding the problems with a bill that offends the set provisions of the Nigerian constitution.

”We, as a result, call on el-Rufai to devote his energy and attention to addressing the unending challenge of constant kidnappings of our people on the highway, in their farms and homes.”

He also asked the governor to, “in the interest of justice and fair play,” pay compensation to “all victims of herdsmen attacks, kidnappers, and armed robbers, just like he paid the fulani herdsmen three years ago to “stop the killings in some parts of Kaduna State.”

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