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Tag: CAN

  • Killings: FG must arrest, prosecute Miyetti Allah – CAN

    The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, says it is time the Federal Government arrest the leaders of the Miyetti Allah for allegedly sponsoring crimes in the nation.

    Rev. Samson Ayokunle, CAN President, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday said it was said that there had been several killings in the northern part of the country in recent time.

    According to him, the Federal Government should order the arrest of the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Groups who are sponsoring and perpertuating the crime in Nigeria and prosecute them for all the killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, among others.

    Details soon…

  • Andimi: Buhari’s govt colluding with terrorists to exterminate Christians in Nigeria – CAN

    President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle on Tuesday described the killing of Adamawa State CAN chairman, Rev. Lawan Andimi as gruesome, unfortunate and a shame on the federal government.

    Andimi was abducted by Boko Haram on January 2 when the insurgents stormed the community.

    Ayokunle faulted the security architecture of the country, wondering: “What has become of Intelligence gathering of our security agencies? Is this government and the security agencies still claiming that the war against these criminals in religious garments has been won despite all the killings?

    “Is the government sincere in fighting these terrorists or merely paying lip service to the war against the insurgency? Is there any hope that our security is guaranteed under this government?”
    A statement issued by the Director, Legal and Public Affairs, CAN, Evangelist Kwamkur Vondip said: “The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle and indeed the entire CAN leadership and the Nigerian Church are deeply saddened with the news of the gruesome murder of Rev. Lawan Andimi the CAN Chairman Michika Local Government Area and the District Church Council Secretary of the Ecclesiya Yan’uwa a Nigeia (EYN) Church in Michika, Adamawa State.

    “We recall sadly that Late Rev. Lawan Andimi while in captivity made a passionate appeal to the leadership of his church and the Federal Government to come to his rescue. The Church did everything within her reach to secure the safe release of this pastor gentleman but it was not possible because they didn’t have the military power to do so.

    “Just last Sunday, a clergyman, Rev Denis Bagauri was murdered by unknown gunmen in his residence at Mayo Belwa of Adamawa State. The Church views the unabated kidnappings, extortions and killings of Christians and innocent Nigerians as shameful to the government that each time boasts that it has conquered insurgency”.

    CAN said It was reprehensible and saddening that each time the government comes out to claim the defeat of the insurgency, more: “killings of our people are committed. In the light of the current developments and the circumstantial facts surrounding the prevailing upsurge of attacks against the church, it will be difficult for us to believe that the Federal Government under President Mohammadu Buhari is not colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians in Nigeria bearing in mind the very questionable leadership of the security sector that has been skewed towards a religion and region!

    “Is that lopsidedness not a cover up for the operation of the insurgency? If not, why couldn’t the well equipped security agents of Nigeria get this man killed rescued?”

    The religious body further urged the federal government to ensure the release of the prisoner of faith, Leah Sharibu and hundreds victims in the Boko Haram and ISWAP captivity before it is too late.

    CAN said: “A government that cannot protect the governed is a failed government. Can the government tell us what they did since Rev. Andimì cried out to them for help?

    “If the security agencies claim the terrorists are operating outside the country, why is it possible for these hoodlums to invade the country, kill, maim, burn and kidnap without any convincing checks on the part of the security agencies?

    “Since the government and its apologists are claiming the killings have no religious undertones, why are the terrorists and herdsmen targeting the predominantly Christian communities and Christian leaders?

    “If the security agencies are not living up to the expectations of the government, why hasn’t it overhauled them with a view of injecting new visionaries ones into the security system?”
    CAN said as long as government continues to live in denial and fail to face the reality: “these criminals will not stop their criminalities. We are almost losing hope in government’s ability to protect Nigerians especially Christians who have become endangered species under its watch”.

    Ayokunle called on the International community and developed world like the US, the UK, Germany, Israel and others to come to: “our aid of Nigeria, especially, the Nigerian Church so that we might not be eliminated one by one.”

  • CAN confirms execution of Adamawa chairman by Boko Haram

    CAN confirms execution of Adamawa chairman by Boko Haram

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed execution of its Michika chairman in Adamawa State, Rev Lawan Andimi, by Boko Haram insurgents
    It was learnt that Andimi was executed on Monday along with a soldier.

    Special Adviser to CAN President, Bayo Oladeji, confirmed the cleric was beheaded.

    He however said: “We are working on our response”.

    The Adamawa state Chairman of CAN, Dami Mamza also confirmed the incident.

    The beheaded church leader served as the Local Council Chapter Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and also a pastor with the Church of the Brethren (EYN) at the District Church Council of Michika.

    Insurgents abducted him during an invasion of the town on January 2 around 7:00 pm.

  • FG treating Boko Haram, ISWAP, others with kid gloves – CAN

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Federal Government of supporting the activities of Boko Haram, Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and other terrorist groups in the country.

    It urged the government to prove the Christians wrong by “publishing names of kingpins of the terrorists, herdsmen, killers and bandits in their custody and those who are being prosecuted in the court of law for the world to see, if the government has not been treating those criminals with kid gloves”.

    CAN President Rev. Samson Ayokunle said he would not to keep quiet until the right things are done and Adamawa State CAN Chairman Rev. Lawan Andimi, who was abducted last week by the Boko Haram insurgents, is released.

    In a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the CAN president said: “The CAN is not doing the bidding of the terrorists by crying out for the freedom of our members in the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists. The government should wake up to its primary responsibility, which is to protect the lives and property of the people.

    “Calling on the Federal Government to free our members from their captors, who claim to be attacking us for religious sake, is the right thing to do in this situation we have found ourselves.

    “These criminals are targeting predominant Christian communities, killing, maiming and abducting the people with or without any resistance from security agencies. This is unprecedented. Let the government wake up to its responsibilities and see if we will not stop talking about its failure to protect our members.

    “That is not politicisation of religion. The governor of Borno State is shouting that the soldiers are extorting money from the people instead of defending them.”

  • Religious Persecution: CAN replies Buhari, Sultan of Sokoto

    Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has stated that it will stop complaining about religious persecution in the country only when all Nigerians perceive that the rule of law, fairness, and social justice are allowed in the country.

    This was stated in a press release by its National Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evang. Kwamkur Samuel, on Saturday, in Abuja.

    This comes after President Buhari appealed to Nigerians not to allow terrorists divide the country along religious lines.

    CAN added that discriminatory policies of government not only ran foul of democratic norms but were a form of persecution.

    The body called on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the Constitution to guide his administration in all its policies and operations.

    The press release reads, “The country belongs to all Nigerians irrespective of their religious and tribal persuasions and any policy that is discriminatory is nothing but persecution.

    “We call on President Buhari to be fair to all Nigerians. We would stop complaining when we see a just society where the rule of law, fairness, and social justice are allowed.

    “When the President released Col Sambo Dasuki and Omoyele Sowore, we hailed him despite the fact that Dasuki is a devout Muslim.

    “We want those still languishing in detention after court granted them bail to be released forthwith.

    “Let genuine democracy work in Nigeria and every Nigerian given sense of belonging through inclusive opportunities.”

    Reacting further to the claim by Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Sa’ad Abubakar III, that there was no case of Christian persecution in the country, the Christian group reiterated that the revered Muslim leader was wrong.

    CAN added that it would have been better, if the monarch remained quiet the way he did when large numbers of Christians were killed by marauding herdsmen in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba states.

    “We respect the Sultan very much but what he said requires response in order to put things right.

    “It is an insult and insensitivity for anyone to be claiming that the unprecedented persecution which victims are well known did not occur. It is also an act of disrespect to the dead.

    “We are happy that the Sultan did not fault our claim that there was unprecedented killings in those areas. Maybe the security agencies would have helped us to unmask the culprits and their religion if they had not appeared powerless while the killings lasted.

    “It is reprehensible that to date, those who killed our brothers and sisters after raping and maiming them for weeks are still at large as if they were spirits.

    “On the observation made by His eminence that if there have been cases of Christian persecution in the country we would have raised it at the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where the leadership of both religions meet, we wonder why the Sultan too could not come to NIREC to fault our position instead of using the public forum.

    “The Sultan should not pretend as if he was unaware of several times we had gone to President Muhammadu Buhari to complain about systematic and deliberate killings of our brothers and sisters and the need for the killers to be brought to book and the killings stopped to no avail.

    “The fact that we are meeting at NIREC does not mean that all is well. We believe that having dialogues with our Muslim counterparts can reduce the tension in the land if there is sincerity.

    “As long as a highly placed traditional ruler who is also the head of the Muslims in the country is denying the obvious then we are not surprised that other Muslim groups talk in the same vein.

    “The government to whom we had complained about the plight of our people in the hands of over-zealous Muslims who said they were fighting Jihad was not convincing enough to show us that the action was not deliberate. We as well complained about lopsided appointments, especially the security chiefs which has not been addressed till today.”

  • Sultan tackles CAN over U.S. report on religious persecution in Nigeria

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has reacted to the recent U.S. classification of Nigeria as a nation that tolerates religious persecution.

    The monarch specifically dismissed claims made by the Christian Association on Nigeria, (CAN), who while reacting to the report, said Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.

    The Sultan said he was also shocked by CAN’s claims.

    The inclusion of Nigeria in the religion violations list was announced by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

    “On December 18, 2019, the Department of State re-designated Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom.”

    CAN immediately backed the listing of the country by the United States government among nations tolerating religious persecution.

    In a statement on Sunday by Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, the association warned that “discrimination against Christians can result in another civil war which Nigeria may not survive.”

    The Sultan of Sokoto, who was speaking on at the closing ceremony of 77th annual Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) organised by the Muslim Society of Nigeria (MSSN) at Bayero University, Kano disagreed with CAN.

    He said “if such persecution really exist, such is supposed to be tabled at the Interfaith forum where Muslims and Christians leaders meet periodically to discuss issues that would promote harmonious coexistence between the two religions (Christianity and Islam.”

    The Sultan noted that most atrocities allegedly committed by armed Fulani herders were not triggered by religion, “as not all Fulanis are Muslims.”

    The nation has been rocked with crises in recent years over the activities of armed herders, usually Fulani, who constantly clash with farmers leading to bloodbath.

    Fulanis practice both Christianity and Islam.

    But according to the monarch, “many Fulanis are atheists whose main interest is to protect their cattle.”

    The Islamic Supreme leader appealed to Muslim faithful not to be provoked by CAN’s statement, which he described as “false and partial.”

  • Release of Dasuki, Sowore worthy Christmas gift – CAN

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has commended the Federal government for releasing former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki, and the leader of RevolutionNow Movement, Mr Omoyele Sowore, describing the gesture a Christmas gift.

    The President of CAN, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, expressed the view in a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant, Media and Communications to the CAN President, in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Ayokunle described the gesture as a Christmas gift to Nigerians and “ a New Dawn for our democracy”.

    Sowore: after he was freed by DSS

    “We are very happy with the decision of the Federal Government to release the duo of former National Security Adviser (NSA) and the publisher of Saharareporters, Omoyele Sowore as mandated by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    ”We appreciate the Attorney -General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice for his intervention and counsel.

    “The action of the government is commendable and it is a New Dawn for Democracy.

    ”As long as the Federal Government continues to respect the rule of law and the Constitution, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) will continue to work with the government to ensure that there is peace and stability in the polity.

    ”We will not cease to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari and his team for a successful tenure of office,” Ayokunle said.

    He said Nigeria should be a pace setter for the continent in everything good, being the giant of Africa in the abundance of human and material resources.

  • US watchlist: CAN backs America, tackles Buhari-led govt

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) believes that the US government was rightly justified to have included Nigeria on a special watchlist for having “engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom”.

    CAN in a statement by Adebayo Oladeji, the Special Assistant (Media &Communications) to its President, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, said it is an open secret that Nigerian Christians are having a raw deal under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We are not happy that our country is being listed among the nations where religious intolerance is one of their hallmarks but it gladdens our hearts that, at least, the global community is not unaware of the fact that Nigerian Christians are becoming endangered species in their Fatherland,” the statement read.

    The watch list contains countries such as Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

    CAN’s reaction came on the heels of another statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemning the US action.

    The government statement rejected the US designation of the country as a nation that engages in or tolerates severe violations of religious freedom, saying the iniquitous tag stems from an orchestrated narrative that has long been discredited.

  • CAN set to tackle sexual perversion, staged miracles, other shameful acts by fake pastors

    Burdened by the shameful activities among some of its members, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has vowed to amend its Constitution to, among others, check some of the excesses of Christian religious leaders which have generated negative publicity and ridicule to the Church.

    The Christian body made the revelation during its recent National Executive Council, NEC, meeting on October 23, where a decision was reached to set up a 5-man committee to make recommendations on how to tackle the menace of fraudulent pastors who are more concerned about their bellies than the damage they are doing to Christendom.

    Lamenting the activities of 419 pastors, the Council said outlined several toxic behaviors in the pulpit to include sexual perversion, stage-managed miracles, financial recklessness, anger, arrogance, sarcasm, shaming, and passivity, each of which is dangerous and holds the potential to shipwreck both Church and the pastor.

    A source close to CAN NEC lamented: “You know that at the moment neither CAN nor the government has any mechanism of checking this kind of things and the perpetrators.

    “As CAN, at the just concluded NEC of October 23, 2019, a 5-man committee was constituted to make a proposal on how CAN could include in her constitution (which is undergoing amendment) measures that could check proliferation of churches and misbehaviours by some pastors that usually expose the Church negatively,” our source stated.

    The inside source hoped that the recommendation of the 5-man committee drawn from the five blocs that make CAN will help to handle what the National Executive Council termed “end-time wahala.”

    Explaining further, our source maintained that the committee which is expected to turn in its recommendations in four weeks, is to make suggestions for possible inclusion in the amended constitution “ways that can help in monitoring proliferation of churches, false teachings and misbehaviour by pastors.”

    CAN which was established in 1976 is made up of five blocs; the Christian Council of Nigeria, CCN, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, CSN, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, the aforementioned Organisation of African Instituted Churches, OAIC, and the Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA.

    It has Women and Youth Wings, a National Executive Council consisting of 105 members (which elects the President).

  • Nigeria@59: Rescue Nigeria from bitterness, CAN tells leaders

    Rev. Samuel Ayokunle, National President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Monday tasked Nigeria’s leaders to use their God-given position to rescue the country from bitterness.

    Ayokunle made the call when he paid a courtesy call on Dr George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, in Abuja.

    The CAN president, who congratulated Akume on his new appointment, reminded him of his good works during his tenure as Benue governor.

    Ayokunle thanked Akume for approving plots of land for the establishment of Baptist secondary schools in Benue when he was governor, saying that the Baptist schools were contributing to the growth of education in Benue.

    “I see your appointment as well-deserved; your choice is no doubt a demonstration of the fact that the federal government has confidence in your ability and capability to handle the ministry.

    “I have no doubt about your sterling leadership qualities, simplicity and commitment to national development. These qualities earned you the appointment.”

    Ayokunle challenged leaders to work toward the return of peace in Nigeria, saying that the nation was in great pains.

    “The location of Nigeria is good, but like Jericho of old, the land is barren and the water is bitter. If we can develop a new heart, a new mind, we can bring Nigeria back on track, employment can be everywhere in our nation.”

    He tasked those in authority to create enabling environment for youths to secure jobs and become assets to the society, adding that Akume had a great role to play as a minister in moving the country forward.

    In his response, Akume thanked the president and his entourage for the visit, saying that CAN was established to promote the glory of God and to encourage growth and unity of Churches.

    Akume added that the body was also established as an instrument to promote understanding, peace and unity among the various people of Nigeria.

    According to him, such responsibilities are enormous and require a man who is gifted and called by the Almighty to lead and handle the responsibilities.

    “Mr President, you understand the structure of this country; we are very complex. As a country with diversities, we can only progress if we exploit these diversities appropriately.”

    Akume cautioned Nigerians, especially its leaders, against negative words capable of destroying the unity existing among the divers groups.

    He charged Muslims and Christians to work in harmony, and assured CAN of government’s determination to create 10 million jobs for Nigerians every year, so as to tackle poverty among vulnerable Nigerians.