CAN declares January 8 national day of mourning

dimeji akinloye

January 3, 2017 6:41 AM

CAN also urged Nigerians to speak up against the ethnic and religious cleansing to wake up the Nigerian security agencies.

Victims of Southern Kaduna killings

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The General Secretary of the association, Musa Asake said this in a statement.

The body berated President Muhammadu Buhari for keeping mute on such a heinous crime committed against the body christ, adding that his silence is an endorsement of the killings.

"The ongoing silence over the ongoing genocide in Kaduna in the last few weeks speaks volume over perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts," the statement said.

"In view of the present predicament, the president of CAN has directed that Sunday, January 8, 2017, should be declared a national day of mourning by Christians including those in the Diaspora.

"We are to pray fervently for our southern Kaduna brothers and sisters who are victims of these wanton killings and also for the peace of our dear country, Nigeria. Therefore all Christians are to dress in the mourning attire black dresses in all our church services on January 8, 2017.

"We are to pray that God who delivered the Jews from Haman should deliver Christians from the Hamans in Nigeria. An injustice to one is an injustice to all."

CAN also urged Nigerians to speak up against the "ethnic and religious cleansing to wake up the Nigerian security agencies from their deliberate slumber to carry out their responsibility."

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It said Nigerian Christians have been persecuted since 2009.

The statement further said: "Though the church in Nigeria, since 2009, has been subjected to a systematic genocide and persecution through the instrumentality of the Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, leading to the killings of thousands of Christians and destruction of hundreds of churches, and over 50,000 houses, the current unprecedented onslaught against Christians by Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen under the watch of Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and President Muhammadu Buhari has reached an alarming stage.

"While we commend President Buhari for waging war against Boko Haram since his assumption of office, his silence over the ongoing genocide in the last few weeks speaks volume over the perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts."

Over 800 people were said to have been killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen on the evening of Monday, December 26, 2016, in the Sanga Local Government Area of the state.

dimeji akinloye