The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has noted that the Northern region could soon become ‘Arewanistan’ (coined from Afghanistan) in view of the persistent killings going on in the region unabated.
In his Christmas message delivered on Saturday, titled, ‘A nation still in search of Truth and vindication,’ Kukah said, “In their sleep, on their farmlands, in their markets, or even on the highway, innocent citizens have been mowed down and turned into burnt offerings to gods of evil.
“Communities have been turned into gulags of misery, death, pain and perfidy. We must move quickly before Arewa, our beloved Arewa, descends into Arewanistan.”
Kukah lamented how that he was heavily slammed in parts of the north when he first criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the security situation in that part of the country last year.
“At about this time last year when I raised the alarm about the perilous state of affairs in northern Nigeria, all kinds of accusations were levelled against me, especially by my northern brethren.
“When the Catholic Bishops protested openly against the killings of our people in March 2020, we were accused of acting against the government with religious motives being imputed to our noble intentions. Now, we are fully in the grip of evil.
“Today, a feeling of vindication only saddens me as I have watched the north break into a cacophony of quarrelsome blame games over our tragic situation.”
According to him, “Tales and promises about planned rescues have since deteriorated into mere whispers. Nothing expresses the powerlessness of the families like the silence of the state at the federal level.
“Today, after over seven years, our over 100 Chibok girls are still marooned in the ocean of uncertainty.
“Over three years after, Leah Sharibu is still unaccounted for. Students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, and children from Islamiyya School, Katsina are still in captivity. This does not include hundreds of other children whose captures were less dramatic.
“We also have lost count of hundreds of individuals and families who have been kidnapped and live below the radar of publicity. We have before us a government totally oblivious to the cherished values of the sacredness of life.
“The silence of the Federal Government only feeds the ugly beast of complicity in the deeds of these evil people who have suspended the future of entire generations of our children.
“Every day, we hear of failure of intelligence, yet, those experts who provide intelligence claim that they have always done their duty diligently and efficiently.
“Does the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not believe that he owes parents and citizens answers as to where our children are and when they are coming home?
“Does the President of Nigeria not owe us an explanation and answers as to when the abductions, kidnappings, brutality, senseless, and endless massacres of our citizens will end? When will our refugees from Cameroon, Chad or Niger return home? We need urgent answers to these questions.
“While I commend the efforts of our security men and women, I call on the President, in collaboration with the governors who are doing their best to preserve and protect their people to develop a more honest, open and robust strategy for ending the humiliation of our people and restoring social order to our people. We have borne enough humiliation as communities and a country.”
He then paid tribute to several northern Christians who, he said, have either been killed or kidnapped for their faith.
“When Michael Nnadi, our teenage Seminarian from Sokoto Diocese, stared down the nozzle of the guns of terrorists and called them to repentance, he knew he was signing his signature with the blood of martyrdom.
“Does the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not believe that he owes parents and citizens answers as to where our children are and when they are coming home?
“Does the President of Nigeria not owe us an explanation and answers as to when the abductions, kidnappings, brutality, senseless, and endless massacres of our citizens will end? When will our refugees from Cameroon, Chad or Niger return home? We need urgent answers to these questions.
“While I commend the efforts of our security men and women, I call on the President, in collaboration with the governors who are doing their best to preserve and protect their people to develop a more honest, open and robust strategy for ending the humiliation of our people and restoring social order to our people. We have borne enough humiliation as communities and a country.”
He then paid tribute to several northern Christians who, he said, have either been killed or kidnapped for their faith.
“When Michael Nnadi, our teenage Seminarian from Sokoto Diocese, stared down the nozzle of the guns of terrorists and called them to repentance, he knew he was signing his signature with the blood of martyrdom.
He told the youths to “seize the moment by coming out to register and be ready to vote.
“EndSARS protests and the aftermath should be a mere punctuation mark in the sentences and chapters of our struggle for a better society.
“There is a lot to live for in this country. There is a lot for our Youth to dream about.
“The spirit of Christmas should be seen as a spirit of renewal. Be courageous, because we shall turn the corner together.”
Source: Tribuneng