Religion
The Christian Association of Nigeria has condemned the attack on a bishop and his son in Niger state.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has condemned the attack on a bishop and his son in Niger state.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has condemned the attack on a bishop and his son in Niger state.
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
Newsreport gathered that the Niger State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has condemned the assassination of Bishop Jonah Kolo of the Bida Anglican Diocese by unknown persons, saying the assassination went too far in a community crisis.
The CAN Chairman, Reverend Mathias Echioda, called for calm among Christians in a statement made available to our correspondent on Sunday in Minna, urging them to allow the relevant law enforcement agencies to carry out their responsibilities.
Echioda urged Christians to avoid retaliatory attacks and to refuse to be used as agents of division.
The bishop and his son, Yetu Kolo, were attacked with sticks, machetes, and cutlasses while working on their farm in Kopako, Lavun Local Government Area, Niger State, last week.
The two men who were injured to varying degrees
The two men who sustained various degrees of injuries from the attack were reportedly attacked as a result of a traditional seat tussle.
Our correspondent gathered that the traditional seat tussle was taking a different turn following the emergence of a Muslim, Zhitsu Gana, as the traditional ruler of the Kopako community in Lavun LGA while a Christian, Ndashaba Kolo, had been tipped for the same position.
St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Kopako was set on fire but it was eventually put off. There was also vandalism of the church bus and other properties with a threat to kill the Christians in the community if they set foot in the Kopako community or continue to meddle in the affairs of the administration of the community.
The Niger Christian Youth Forum has also decried the increasing rate of religious intolerance in the Kopako community, calling on the government to act fast before the ongoing activities degenerated into a religious crisis.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Joshua Ndace, the forum said the emergence of Zhitsu Gana as the traditional ruler had been accompanied by a series of attacks on individuals and groups pointing out that it had led to a religiously tensed environment in Kopako.
He said, “We have observed with great concern the recent worrisome activities and events in Kopako, Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State have degenerated even further.”
Ndace added that the height was seen in the manner that one of the highest-ranking office holders of the Christian faith, His Lordship, Bishop Jonah Kolo was harassed, assaulted, and attacked in Kopako.
