Baptist Ministers, Islamic Council Disagree On Alleged Persecution Of Christians

The 65th yearly ministers’ league of the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kaduna has insisted that Christians successful Nigeria look persecution successful assorted forms, and has appealed to the United States authorities not to spot the state connected its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list.

They made the entreaty successful a communique issued astatine the extremity of the week-long league held successful Kaduna with the theme: ‘The Authority of Scripture and the Mission of the Church successful Troubled Times’.
The communique signed by Rev. John Joseph Hayab, president of the Seminary’s Board of Governors and Rev. Dr. Mannaseh Panpe, the acting president of the Seminary, acknowledged that Christians crossed the state had suffered killings, harassment and favoritism due to the fact that of their faith.

“While we admit that Christians successful Nigeria look persecution, not lone done killings but besides done assorted forms of favoritism based connected faith, we entreaty to overseas governments and planetary bodies not to spot Nigeria connected the CPC list, arsenic specified a designation would not resoluteness the underlying issues of insecurity and spiritual tension.

“Labeling Nigeria arsenic a CPC could inadvertently escalate violence, arsenic specified enactment whitethorn bounds entree to subject assistance and morganatic information equipment, thereby weakening the nation’s quality to combat terrorism, banditry, and different convulsive crimes,” the ministers said.

But the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has cautioned the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) against what it described arsenic mendacious and misleading claims that Christians were being deliberately targeted and killed crossed the country.

In a connection signed by its lawman nationalist ineligible adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, the NSCIA said the allegations making rounds connected planetary platforms and societal media were “baseless” and aimed astatine creating part and tarnishing Nigeria’s representation globally.

The assembly noted that portion it appreciated the efforts of authorities agencies that had countered the reports, it faulted the authorities for failing to “call a spade a spade” by identifying and condemning those wrong the state liable for promoting the narrative.

According to the NSCIA, the allegations of a genocidal run against Christians are portion of a wider effort to plunge Nigeria into a spiritual war. It added that the U.S. State Department’s 2023 study connected planetary spiritual state showed that terrorists and bandits onslaught some churches and mosques indiscriminately.

The assembly expressed disappointment that the national authorities had not called retired individuals similar Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi and Rev. Joseph Hayab of the Northern CAN who it said precocious made “false and divisive” statements to overseas bodies.

The connection besides accused CAN of playing a “script” aimed astatine gaining planetary sympathy and backing done Islamophobic propaganda.