The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for Northern Nigeria, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, has stated that bandits are deliberately attacking Christians in order to provoke anger in the country and cause confusion in the land.
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Hayab made this assertion while expressing his disappointment in how Nigerian authorities handled the news of the kidnapping of 177 worshippers in Kurmin Wali in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In an interview with SAM NWAOKO, the CAN chairman described the initial denial of the incident by government officials and security agencies as “one of the funniest as well as surprising things I have heard about such incidents in our country in a long time.”
Hayab recounted how he received information about the kidnapping incident soon after it occurred and followed up with consistent calls to the community to ascertain what happened.
“I got wind of it and did not talk about it until after 24 hours. And from the period I got wind of the matter up until the time they came out to deny it, I couldn’t believe it because I was following up on it. I was on the telephone making consistent calls to the community to know what happened and to know what exactly was going on,” he stated.
The CAN chairman revealed that he received about seven text messages from different persons giving updates on the incident, including from a CAN representative in the area whom he has been working with for upwards of 10 years.
“None of them said that the incident didn’t take place. So how on earth can someone now come to tell me that the incident didn’t happen?” Hayab questioned.
He expressed particular dismay at how the local government chairman visited the community in the morning to find out what happened, left and promised to return, only to go to town to deny that the incident occurred.
“That was why I said it was the funniest drama of the century. That is the way I view it because it was like a drama,” he stated.
Beyond the official denial, Hayab expressed disappointment that an Editor of a prominent Nigerian daily newspaper published a headline stating “CAN Lied” about the incident.
“These are the kinds of problems we have in Nigeria, and that is why, most of the times the problems in our country are caused by elites, and not the nobodies. If an Editor of a newspaper can boldly put a headline: ‘CAN Lied’ in a sensitive matter like that, it is disturbing,” he said.
The CAN chairman noted that even after it became clear that CAN did not lie, the editor was “not man enough to apologise or say ‘CAN Vindicated’.”
“That was not good enough and it is sad that that is how low Nigeria has sunk. When those who are to defend Nigeria are hungry and starved, to defend Nigeria will be a tough task indeed,” Hayab observed.
After initially denying the incident, the police later accepted the truth and promised to take action.
Hayab expressed appreciation for the response of the Inspector-General of Police, saying: “I love the position of the Inspector-General of Police. I love the way he took up the matter and said let’s address it at the national level. I believe that actions are being taken.”
He also commended the Kaduna State Police Command for realizing their error and promising to correct it.
“They said they didn’t feel right about what happened and they have promised that they would go all out to correct it. And I am happy that it has been corrected,” the CAN chairman stated.
Addressing the fact that Kurmin Wali is a predominantly Christian community, Hayab stated that Christians in Northern Nigeria have been facing persecution even before recent international attention to their plight.
“Don’t also forget that these people are deliberately attacking us to provoke anger, to cause confusion in the land and make certain demands that they deem fit because they know that if it were Christians there would be reactions left and right and all over,” he explained.
He argued that one reason the incident is making headlines is because decisive action has not been taken against those disturbing and tormenting citizens.
“Whatever name you call, Christians or whatever, whoever inflicts pains on the citizens of your country, let that person know that you have a government,” Hayab emphasized.
Regarding the victims still in captivity, Hayab disclosed that the bandits have made contact to know who they will be talking to.
“So all efforts are towards ensuring that the security agencies do their job. We will also play our role,” he stated.
When asked about President Donald Trump’s allegation that Christians in Nigeria face existential threat, Hayab declined to politicize the incident but acknowledged that Christians in Northern Nigeria know what is going on.
The CAN chairman’s comments highlight the ongoing security challenges facing Christian communities in Northern Nigeria and raise questions about government transparency in reporting such incidents.
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