The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the recent kidnap of a Catholic reverend father in southern Kaduna which happened about 48 hours ago.
The right group in a statement signed by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, charged President Mohammed Buhari and the governor of Kaduna State to take steps to ensure that the continuous attacks and violence unleashed on the people of southern Kaduna who are mostly Christians are brought to an end.
HURIWA in a statement said, “We condemn the kidnap of Rev. Father Joseph Shekari, the parish priest of St Monica Catholic Church Ikulu Feri in Kauru Local Government Area and the killing of a Steward.
“We ask for his immediate and unconditional release and we are aware that government officials have ways to get him released. These continuous attacks on Christians is a confirmation that there is an ongoing genocide in the Southern Kaduna and a lot more other places in the northern Nigerian territory including Plateau State whereby Christians dominate numerically.
“There is a jihad to depopulate Christians. Government must investigate this and arrest the perpetrators and bring them before a competent court of law.
“It is a fact that Christians are specifically targeted by armed Islamists masquerading as Fulani herdsmen to attack Christians in the northern states where they (Christians) are the majority in terms of population. Such states are Taraba, plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue are the major flashpoints of ‘Jihad’ going on is almost no longer in doubt except to doubting Thomases.
“It must be made emphatically clear that HURIWA is in no way accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of direct involvement in the killing of Christians in Northern Nigeria.
“We recognise that President Muhammadu Buhari is peace-loving. This is the reason why we have consistently called on President Muhammadu Buhari as the father of the nation to protect Christians who are in Northern Nigeria and his constituents same as adherents of all organised and non-orthodox religions including ATHEISTS.
“A lot of those Fulani groups identifying themselves as ‘Miyetti Allah Cattle sellers’ are the people responsible for the attacks on Christians,” the right group said.