The Ecumenical Youth Association President briefed the media on the State of Nation as it affects Christians.
The President, Daboikiabo Warmate raised issues about Christians being killed all over the country as well as the attitude of the country’s leadership towards the security issues leading to the killings. The Association also demanded the resignation of the Chief Justice Of the Federation, Justice Tanko Muhammad over his utterances portraying him as being in support of introduction of Sharia in the whole country.
See the full text of the briefing.
Gentlemen of the press, the world has been once again made aware through several findings and media reports that, in the recent years, it has been very tragic for Christians in Nigeria. Starting from the Baga massacre to the kidnap of Leah Sharibu and the beheading of 11 Nigerian Christians by Islamic State in West Africa, ISWAP on chrismas day. The kidnap of four seminarians of the Good Shepherd Catholic Seminary in Kakau, along Kaduna-Abuja road and the most recent killing of 35 and abduction of 58 persons as bandits raided 10 communities in Chikun and Brinin Gwari local Government Areas of Kaduna State, on January 13, 2020, just to mention but a few of such occurrence that has earn Nigeria its unenviable position as the one of the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. It is Crystal clear that, Christians are going through astronomic persecution and provocation.
As if that was not enough, we woke up one morning to read with a rude shock, a statement credited to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad CFR, and the introduction of a new marriage policy by the Ministry of Interior, for churches to compulsorily pay thirty thousand naira (N30, 000) license charge, for the conduct of statutory marriage in churches and twenty one thousand naira (N21, 000) charge for each marriage certificate issued, has suggested and confirmed the perceived worries of Christians in Nigeria that calls for extreme concerns of all.
We take no joy in addressing the press but compelled by the above stated reasons most especially, the inordinate and toxic statement credited to the Chief Justices of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad CFR, demands its response and deserves the vehement condemnation by all well meaning and peace loving citizens and residence of Nigeria and the world at large.
It’s quit revealing to note that, On Thursday, December 19, 2019, honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, made call for the application of Shari’a rule in the entire Nigeria to the dismay and disguise of judges both present and absent. The Chief Justice made the call at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna state, during the opening of the 20th Annual Judges Conference. Represented by the Grand Khadi of Niger state, Justice Muhammad Danjuma, the Chief Justice of Nigeria was quoted to have said; “As we all know, there are sections of the constitution that allow the implementation of Sharia Personal Law and apart from that, we cannot do more. However, we have the number to amend the constitution to suit our own position as Muslims”. He also advocated for increased number of Shari’a judges and then demanded that Shari’a laws should be taught in Arabic instead of English language.
The advocacy and call for the full implementation of the Sharia Islamic law by the CJN in a multi-religious country like Nigeria is nothing short of purveying the same radical Islamic ideology that is the major driving force of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Justice Tanko’s call for an expansion of the Sharia jurisprudence beyond personal matters in the Constitution is dangerous because, it provides justification for the struggle for the establishment of an Islamic state by Boko Haram, ISWAP and other jihadist groups, which may impress jihad as a religious duty upon the mind of millions of Muslims.
It is sad that the Chief Justice of Nigeria ignored very important State Matters like the call for restructuring, justice reforms and even electoral reforms to address the plethora of issues plaguing the country. He could have even used the platform to demand for respect of court judgments by government at all levels and their agents. Instead, he turned himself into an advocate of a religious law, just like boko haram and Islamic state of West Africa. The only difference between the CJN and these groups is that, they advocate using guns while he advocate using his pen and office.
We are a nation built on the rule of law and not the law of rulers. The statement of the CJN is an insult to the sensibility of the framers of our Constitution & the intelligence of our founding fathers. It can be considered as breach of the conscience & rights of Christians. This shows that, the CJN has little faith in the constitution he has sworn to uphold. This is a statement with an incredible gravity. It is a judicial conduct that has cross the red lines and has mischaracterize the letters & spirit of the constitution.
With such a statement, we are left in no doubt of the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s betrayal of his oath of office to be fair to all. And it is over seven hundred and twenty hours (720hrs), i.e. thirty-one (31) days now that, he has neither refuted it nor apologized.
We are therefore, left with no other alternative than to call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to honourably resign within seven days of the press conference and failure to do so, we will send a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) requesting for his removal from office. As a matter of urgent national importance, the CJN most go and President Buhari most ensure that it is so if, he does not wants us to believe that, he consented to the statement of the CJN and is working in paripasu with him to Islamize Nigeria.
The President on December 25, 2019, said and I quote, “We should under no circumstances let terrorists divide us by turning Christians against Muslims because, those barbaric killers don’t represent Islam and millions of other law-abiding Muslims around the world”. We totally agree with the president but urge him to stop paying lip service to the protection of lives and properties of Christians and the general public. Because the selective kidnapping and killings of Christians and burning of churches has gotten to a proportion that is no longer acceptable and if not urgently stemmed, could produce undesirable results. We will appreciate a more honest effort from the Federal Government in its handling of the insecurity situation. This calls for a more drastic action from the President, in other to put to an end the growing number of Christian widows, widowers and orphans. We wish to state abundantly clear that, we believe in peace and the peaceful coexistence of all in a just and fair Nigeria.
Also, we urge the President to reconsider his decision on the Visa on Arrival Policy to all African countries, marriage certificate issuance and license charges payment of fifty one thousand naira (N51,000) by couples and churches and the exclusion of Christians in the top security echelon appointments.
Finally, our position regarding the CJN’s comment completely aligns with the views of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Sheikh Gumi and Mike Ozekhome SAN; and on the persecution of Christians, we subscribe to the Statements of CAN, Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, Her Ladyship Baroness Cox, Bishop of Truro and the reason for the inclusion of Nigeria on watch list by the United States of America (USA). While we call on all Christian legislators at the national and state assembly to be very proactive and vigilant now than ever, as we appeal to the United Nations, the United States of America (USA), the British Government, the European Union among other international groups to prevail on President Buhari to drop these anti Christian policies.
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