*Victims of insecurity and terrorism adherents of Christianity, Islam, others – Minister
*Trump has caused more dangers for the world than any American President in history – Nigerians
*Say peace and security will continue to elude Nigeria until CAN’s atrocities are officially addressed
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“What I must tell you is that, a cow that has no tail, only God will help it to drive away flies disturbing its peace. I must tell you in confidence, and you can verify my claims, that the CAN is a big danger for Muslims of Nigeria. And America is their backer. Until that association is given official treatment, Nigeria’s peace and security will remain elusive. If Churches were bombed, which we all knew, can you compare the number of such happening to mosques bombed and personalities of Muslim community killed by Boko Haram? Is Nigeria the only country terrorism has affected? How come CAN is telling these so called world leaders what they know to be falsehood but they are taking it as truth because, they want Nigeria to collapse at all cost?” He queried.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described the allegation as a case of honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.
”Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution. Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions,” the Minister said.
He said Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard.
The United States on Monday finally added Nigeria to a blacklist on religious freedom, paving the way for potential sanctions if it does not improve its record.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom, alongside nations that include China, Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
The action by the Donald Trump administration was coming about two years after September 14, 2018 visit by invitation of President Muhammadu Buhari to the White House, during which he asked the Nigerian Leader why he was killing Christians in Nigeria, a question that continues to sound absurd and mischievous as such incident never happened in the country.
But The DEFENDER gathered that the United States acted on information provided it by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the religious group in Nigeria that is noted to have been presenting the national disaster imposed inflicted – by Boko Haram terrorism – on generality of Nigerians, mainly Muslims, as war against Christians.
Some Nigerians view the attitude of the CAN as unfortunate, especially when, according to them, it became open that in doing their misinformation and sending sane to the US, United Nations and United Kingdom, it employed the use of media which they claimed had taken side with the religious group all along.
We also gathered that whereas the CAN had kicked against court sentences of its members, brought to justice like the ones in Yola sentenced to death, for killing Muslims and had covered up many similar cases perpetrated by its members, that it still went ahead to present the opposite of reality to the US, which the Trump administration acted upon.
Our investigations further revealed the attitude of CAN from the leadership of Ayo Oritsajefor, when it singled out a list of only Christian victims of the Boko Haram bombing of United Nations House in Abuja, which killed many Ramadan fasting Muslims, and made it a lead in Nigerian newspapers impressing that the sad terrorism action was set out to kill Christians thereby creating divisions among the hitherto united citizens of Nigeria.
“What I must tell you is that, a cow that has no tail, only God will help it to drive away flies disturbing its peace. I must tell you in confidence, and you can verify my claims, that the CAN is a big danger for Muslims of Nigeria. And America is their backer. Until that association is given official treatment, Nigeria’s peace and security will remain elusive. How can you accuse people, who are the worst hit victims recording high fatality rate from terrorism, as the killing Christians? You have to be able to prove that. Or were the Christians the bombers of their mosques and killers of their peace loving families and leaders so to now say maybe you are thinking they are killing your own people in revenge?
“If Churches were bombed, which we all knew, can you compare the number of such happening to mosques bombed and personalities of Muslim community killed by Boko Haram? Is Nigeria the only country terrorism has affected? How come CAN is telling these so called world leaders what they know to be falsehood but they are taking it as truth because, they want Nigeria to collapse at all cost?” He queried.
Nigerians, particularly Muslims, who reacted to this development they described as unfortunate however, hope that the world will have peace with Trump now being democratically booted out of the stage, although one of them said, “It is America’s system but Trump has caused more dangers for the world than any American President in history”.
He said, “This is a lesson for us as Nigerians to cooperate with people in government, especially when we have those that we can trust, in building a formidable country that will be self reliant and take its vantage position in the global scene. Citizens who allow themselves to be used to sabotage and frustrate this country’s efforts towards peace and development will never be blessed by the country,” he prayed.
