The
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned the release of the five
suspected killers of 74 year old christian woman, Bridget Agbahime, over
allegations of blasphemy at Kofar Wambai market, Kano state on June 2nd this
year. A magistrate court in Kano last week Thursday November 3rd, set the
suspected murderers free on the advise of the Kano state attorney
general.
In a statement signed by its Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel, CAN described the manner in which the case has so far been handled as highly provocative and insulting. The association decried the fact that no conviction has been made regarding any murder case that is linked to blasphemy.
“The Association
condemns the continuous act of killing of innocent Nigerians under the pretense
of blasphemy and considers the willful absence of justice for victims of these
mindless killings in Nigeria by the relevant authorities as a very serious
constitutional breach and security threat to our unity and collective survival
as a nation. The now-familiar tradition of avoidance to arrest or properly
investigate and prosecute cases involving the deliberate killing of innocent
Nigerians is evidence of a scripted plan to operate another nation within the
Nigerian state and to deny justice to those who truly deserve justice. The
cardinal responsibility of Government to protect the lives and property of the
citizens is sacrosanct and must not be sacrificed on the altar of religious
convenience. As it stands today, there is no single prosecution record of any
criminal who killed under the pretence of blasphemy in Nigeria despite the
number of victims and incontrovertible facts showing that those killings were
done in daylight and mostly by persons who live within the communities where
these heinous crimes were committed. The act of condoning crass criminality in
the name of blasphemy deserves greater attention and broader treatment in this
era of transforming the mindset of the citizens to work toward progressive
change”.
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