CAN urges FG to stop hasty implementation of death sentence on 5 Christians

The Christian Association of Nigeria,(CAN) has called on the Federal Government to caution the Adamawa Government against hasty implementation of the death sentence passed on five Christian youths.

Rev. Samson Ayokunle, CAN president, made this call in a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant, Media and Communications to the CAN President, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ayokunle said the five convicts were allegedly to have on June 1, 2017, ‘willfully and intentionally conspired and attacked three herdsmen rearing cattle, at Kadamun village in Demsa Local Government Area’.

He said that the convicts killed one of the herdsmen, Adamu Buba, whose body was thrown into a river and also maimed several cows.

According to him, Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri of a High Court in the state recently sentenced the convicts to death for culpable homicide.

“The names of the convict are Alex Amos, Alheri Phanuel, Holy Boniface, Jerry Gideon and Jari Sabagi.

“CAN is not supporting jungle justice or any criminality.

“But hundreds of our members in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Plateau states in the North-central geo-political zones, and a state like Enugu in the South, have been killed.

“Some criminals parading themselves as Fulani herdsmen are still killing our members on a daily basis, but are yet to be apprehended.

“Citizens stood helpless at the massacre of their peaceful fellow Nigerians, the international community watched in anguish how government security agencies could not bring perpetrators of these heinous killings to book.

“ Donald Trump, President of U.S had expressed sadness over killings of Christians in Nigeria.

“The U.S president even told President Muhammadu Buhari when he recently visited the White House in Washington DC that the U.S.A will no longer tolerate a situation where Christians were being killed with impunity.

Ayokunle, however, said despite the outrage that has trailed the killings of Christians in Nigeria, it was disheartened that none of the killers has been brought to justice.

“We are shocked at the speed of light deployed by security and judicial officers in sentencing the alleged killers of the herdsman in Adamawa state.

“Why did the court discharge the alleged killers of Madam Bridget Agbahime on the orders of the Kano State Government?

“Why have security officials not arrested those behind the killings of Christians in Southern Kaduna? While did Nigeria Police set free those arrested for the murder of Mrs Eunice Elisha Olawale in Kubwa, Abuja.

“In view of this, CAN is calling on President Buhari to intervene in the death sentence passed on these Christian youths in Adamawa,” he said.

Ayokunle said CAN has directed its legal team to secure and study the text of the judgment with a view to preventing a miscarriage of justice and a future re-occurence.

In a related development, he said CAN is visibly disturbed at reports that the Federal Government has allegedly directed the Nigerian Army and Police to recruit some former members of Boko Haram terrorists who recently underwent deradicalisation programme.

“If it is true, CAN condemns such a policy in strong terms and ask the Federal Government, especially security agencies, to withdraw such directive which is capable of compromising the nation’s security system,” he said.