The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reacted to recent claims by President Muhammadu Buhari that 90% of Boko Haram victims in Nigeria were Muslims.
Speaking in an interview, CAN’s Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel said the President’s submission was “unfounded, false, provocative and misleading.”
Naija News recalls President Buhari made the claim in an opinion article titled, “Buhari: Pastor Andimi’s faith should inspire all Nigerians,” which was published in Speaking Out, a guest opinion column for Christianity Today, a United States-based magazine where he also paid tribute to the slain CAN Chairman, Revd Lawan Andimi, noted that Nigerians everywhere, those of Christian belief and those of none, are mourning the death of Andimi.
CAN’s Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “The Christian Association of Nigeria notes with pains President Buhari’s unfounded, false, provocative and misleading assertion that 90% of Boko Haram victims are Muslims.”
“On reading this misleading and provocative statement coming from the number one citizen of the country, one will hardly doubt that the President understands the difference between the real victims and perpetrators of the heinous crime against the Church and humanity.
“No wonder the Boko Haram is getting more attention from the FG in the name of rehabilitation and de-radicalization than the victims who lost their lives, loved ones and living in the internally displaced persons’ camps.”
Samuel said it was wrong of the President to have juxtaposed the two main religions in the country in the light of Boko Haram attacks.
Samuel asked, “Are we into any competition with the number of the victims? Is there any life that should not be precious to Mr. President.
“What is the source of the President’s records? He should bring out his records with figures and the Christians will present theirs! Is he calculating the figures brandished by security chiefs as victims killed by Boko Haram; killed during operations? We are so sure that even if the President combines the number of Muslim victims plus the number of the terrorists killed by the army, it cannot be up to half the number of the Christian victims of the insurgents.”
“The sole purpose of Boko Haram is the killing of Christians and Islamisation of Nigeria,” he added.
He went ahead to cite examples of Christian communities that have been attacked by Boko Haram terrorists with many killed during the attack.
“Boko Haram has wiped away all Christian communities in most local governments of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe to mention but a few. Almost all the Christian communities in Northern states have fallen victims to the insurgents.
“What about the repeated attacks on Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and most of the states of the Middle Belt? On attacks on mosques and Muslims, it’s true that some Muslims have fallen victims to Boko Haram, but those victims are few Muslims who speak against the activities of Boko Haram,” he stated.
The CAN official also blamed the President for failing to fulfill his promise to eradicate Boko Haram and rescue those abducted by the terrorists including the Chibok and Dapchi girls.
“Is it not surprising to the President that the Chibok girls who were abducted many years ago have yet to be found and returned as he promised Nigerians?
“Yet, the Dapchi girls who were abducted within his regime have since been returned with the exception of Leah Sharibu, who was retained because of her faith?
“Nigerians need to know if they have not known the reason why the Presidency could not pay ransom to rescue Chibok girls. It is because 80% to 90% of the girls are Christians. The reason why Dapchi girls’ ransom was quickly paid and they were returned is the discovery that most of the girls were Muslims except Leah Sharibu who is still in captivity.”
“It’s very sad that instead of the government to apologise to Christians and Nigerians on their inability to defend their lives and property, they are busy playing international politics with the lives of the citizens.”
However, the Secretary-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr. Abubakar Khalid -Aliyu said claims by the President were correct.
He said: “That 90% of victims of Boko Haram are Muslims and that Boko Haram is not targeting Christians are statements of truth that can’t be disputed because Muslims who engage in the pursuit of Western education are mostly their target.”
“It is not a hidden secret that Muslims are the greater victims of Boko Haram insurgency. If they are targeting Christians, then, they will be pursuing Christians all over the place.”
