Owo Catholic Church: CAN, ECWA condemn killing of Christains in Nigeria

The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and the entire TEKAN-ECWA Bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday condemned the killing of worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, in Ondo State on Sunday.

Describing the act as a calculated assault on the peace-loving citizenry of Owo and the entire Christendom in the country.

The Church also called for the overhaul of the security architecture, while putting in place a security system that is “technology-driven, proactive, comprehensive and decisive”.

This was contained in a press statement signed by Rev. Stephen Baba Panya ECWA President and Head of TEKAN -ECWA Bloc, made available to journalists in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.

It reads: “Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and the entire TEKAN-ECWA Bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) received with great shock, pain and sorrow, the sad news of the gruesome attack on St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State by bandits leading to the deaths of over 50 innocent Christian worshippers including children.

“In consonance with what our Esteemed National President of CAN has said, we do assert that this is nothing but pure wickedness and evil as there could be no justifiable reason for this brazen and dastardly attack.

According to the Church, “This attack is clearly a well-calculated assault on the peace-loving people of the Owo Kingdom and the entire Christendom in Nigeria.

“It is barbaric, vile, wicked, Satanic, and a deliberate action to wipe out Christianity in the country.

“That the attack was carried out on Pentecost Sunday, the generally acknowledged ‘birthday’ of the Church, clearly shows it is a continuation of the relentless but futile effort of the devil and his agents to exterminate the Church in Nigeria”, the Church maintained.

“We, therefore, join all people of good conscience in Nigeria and around the world, to condemn this dastardly attack on innocent citizens in its entirety and in the strongest terms.

“It is a cross we all are jointly bearing. We pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the healing and restoration of all the injured and the Church of God in Nigeria.

“The greatest honor that can be done to the victims of this attack is to get to the root of the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice no matter who they are and where they come from”, the Church explained.

“ECWA is worried at the increasing spate of hostility against the Church in Nigeria without the government taking drastic and adequate measures to forestall such acts.

“We also need to draw attention to another unfortunate trend that is gradually emerging and rapidly taking root as the new normal in our nation. This is the killing of people on alleged blasphemy being promoted and perpetrated by Islamic extremists.

The Church recalled the gruesome murder of Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a young Christian girl in Sokoto, and more recently, in Abuja, the murder of Odaru, a young Muslim vigilante from Nasarawa state for alleged blasphemy.

“We believe that people who perpetrate this kind of evil will continue to be emboldened to do more havoc when there are no visible and deterrent repercussions for their actions”, the Church lamented.

It also recalled the recent killing of Harira Jibril and her four children in Anambra state for reasons that are not yet very clear.

According to the Church, “All these and many other killings, banditry, kidnappings, and criminalities across the country are clear pointers to the existential fact that Nigeria is fastly becoming a totally failed state, and heading towards anarchy and disintegration.

“What is really keeping Nigeria today is nothing but the grace and mercies of God, and we must not take this for granted as a nation.

“As a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation, every effort must be made not to destabilize our nation’s critical fault lines.

“Nigeria should learn from the bitter experience of countries such as Somalia, which is known as the most homogenous nation in terms of religion, ethnicity, language and culture. However, due to the clannish war, it has not known peace since 1991”, the Church warned.

The Church called on Christians to remain “calm, watchful and fervent in prayer”.

“We urge the government as a matter of urgency, to act decisively to arrest and make perpetrators of all these evil acts to face the full wrath of the law.

Adding that, Ecclesiastes 8:11-12 says, “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.”

“Clearly, there is the need to overhaul the security architecture, and put in place a security system that is technology-driven, proactive, comprehensive, and decisive.

“What Nigerians need at this time is peace, love, unity, hope and access to the basic necessities of life and not death, sorrow, pain, and hopelessness”, the Church admonished.