The Human rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the federal government to put a stop to the incessant killings of Christians and the recent kidnap of a Catholic priest in Southern Kaduna state.
In a statement by the group on Monday, it asked President Mohammed Buhari and the governor of Kaduna state to take steps to ensure that the continuous attacks and violence unleashed on the people of southern Kaduna who are mostly Christians must stop.
“We condemn the kidnap of Rev. Father Joseph Shekari, the parish priest of St Monica Catholic Church Ikulu Feri in Kauru Local Government Area and the killing of Steward. We ask for his immediate and unconditional release and we are aware that government officials have ways to get him released.
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“These continuous attacks on Christians is a confirmation that there is an ongoing genocide in the Southern Kaduna and a lot more other places in the northern Nigerian territory including Plateau State whereby Christians dominate numerically. There is a jihad to depopulate Christians. Government must investigate this and arrest the perpetrators and bring them before a competent court of law.
“It is fact that Christians are specifically targeted by armed Islamists masquerading as Fulani herdsmen to attack Christians in the northern states where they (Christians) are the majority in terms of population, such states are Taraba, plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue are the major flash points of ‘Jihad’ going on is almost no longer in doubt except to doubting Thomases.
“It must be made emphatically clear that HURIWA is in no way accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of direct involvement in the killing of Christians in Northern Nigeria. We recognise that President Muhammadu Buhari is peace loving.
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Recall that recently one of four Nigerian seminarians kidnapped a few Months back was killed, reportedly by his abductors. The three seminarians kidnapped along with him were released in the weeks following their kidnapping.
On Friday, Jan. 31, an official at Good Shepherd Seminary announced that two more of the kidnapped seminarians had been released. At that time, it was reported that one seminary was still at large, and was presumed to remain in captivity. That seminarian was Nnadi.
In the last year, several priests and seminarians, along with pastors from other Christian denominations, have been kidnapped in Nigeria, some for ransom, and some by Islamist militant and terrorist groups.
Church leaders have called on the government to prioritize the security of its citizens.