• CAN decries killings, says officers are sabotaging the military
• Lafarge boss gives the all-clear after attack on Ashaka Cement.
The security situation in Mubi, Adamawa State’s second largest city, keeps taking a turn for the worse as Boko Haram terrorists have resorted to destroying churches and killing and uprooting Christians from the predominantly Christian town in their bid to establish an Islamic caliphate and make Mubi its headquarters.
The terrorists had renamed the historic town “Madinatul Islam”, meaning the city of Islam and peace, on Tuesday.
Residents trapped in Mubi confirmed through phone calls that the insurgents had ordered Christians to leave the city or denounce their religion and accept Islam or get killed.
Reverend Stephen, who escaped from the hands of the insurgents by a whisker yesterday, said the terrorists were going around setting ablaze any church they come across in Mubi.
The cleric said he was trapped in Mubi while trying to locate the whereabouts of his wife and children, adding that he fled after tracing them on Monday.
“They warned us that whoever goes astray, will definitely meet him or her waterloo, so we had to abide by their rules for the fear of being killed. But immediately, my family and myself planned our exit out of the trouble town,” he revealed.
He said the killings in Mubi were being carried out selectively by the Boko Haram insurgents, alleging that most of the people killed were Christians who refused to accept their injunctions.
Another resident from Mubi, who also escaped yesterday, Mr. Joseph Namu, said the insurgents had been going round the city burning churches and killing anybody that resisted their dictates.
He confirmed to THISDAY that churches like the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), Ekklisiyar’s Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN no 1), a Catholic church situated at Ahmadu Bello Way and a Baptist Church located in Sabonline, as well as several other churches were torched by the insurgents.
“Christians are killed by the insurgents on discovery that they cannot recite a part of the Koran known as Kalimatu Shahada and are not ready to denounce the name of Jesus Christ and embrace Islam,” he said.
He added that the insurgents used fuel from petrol stations abandoned by their owners to burn the churches.
“Even I had to lie that I was a Muslim because I could recite Kalimatu Shahada, so the insurgents granted me passage without further interrogation,” he said.
In addition to destroying churches and carrying out a pogrom against Christians, the Boko Haram insurgents have commenced the enforcement of Sharia Law in Mubi.
Ten Muslims reportedly had their hands amputated by the insurgents for stealing wrappers.
Residents trapped in Mubi said the insurgents had established a full-fledged Sharia government in the area, promising to inculcate discipline in the people.
Also, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Yola, Rt. Reverend Dami Stephen Mamza, yesterday said the killings in Mubi were selective.
He asserted that the recent pronouncement of a ceasefire agreement with the Boko Haram by the federal government through the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, had made the residents of Adamawa State more vulnerable to attacks.
The bishop made the statement shortly after distributing relief materials to 2,300 displaced families at St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Yola, the Adamawa State capital, and also condemned the growing insurgency in the state.
He lamented that hundreds of residents had been killed and thousands rendered homeless, charging the federal government to intensify efforts to immediately address the situation to avoid anarchy in the system.
He described the killing of innocent people and attacks on their homes without a just cause by the insurgents as heartless, unfortunate and passionately appealed to the federal and state governments to muster the political will to tackle the insurgency.
However, a security source said the military was planning to launch a massive counter-attack and recapture Mubi on Wednesday.
He added that Nigerian troops were advancing towards Mubi, revealing that thousands of riot policemen were also drafted to give the military back-up and were already stationed in the villages and towns close to Mubi.
In a related development, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday expressed outrage over the infiltration of the military in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.
Angered by the recent killings of Christians and Muslims in the North-eastern part of the country and the daring attacks that have been launched recently by the terrorists, President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Wednesday exploded, warning, “Enough is enough”.
Oritsejafor spoke in Abuja during the National Executive Council meeting of CAN, stating that areas that had been taken over and fallen under the control of Boko Haram are predominantly Christian territories.
The CAN president said Christians were no longer safe in those troubled parts of the country.
He maintained that Boko Haram was waging a religious war against Christians.
“What is happening in the North-east is unacceptable to us. Christians are the main victims. We are not saying that other people are not affected. But Christians are the ones affected the most.
“All the places where Boko Haram has foisted its flag are dominated by Christians. They have taken over Mubi in Adamawa State, which is dominated by Christians. Somebody will now tell me this is not religion. Who is fooling who? Nigerians should accept that we have a problem," Oritsejafor said.
While urging Nigerians to pray to God to bring to an end the mindless killings, Oritsejafor said he would not join other Nigerians who have become popular by constantly criticising the military.
He however called on the leadership of the military to fish out saboteurs in its midst if the war against terror must be won.
“All well-meaning Nigerians must pray and continue to pray. We must pray. I will not join those condemning our security agencies. They are Nigerians. Women are losing their husbands and children are losing their fathers. I want to challenge the military. They can do better. They must continue to fish out those sabotaging their efforts. Those people should be expelled. They are in all the security agencies.
“No matter the intention you have, if you have people working against you, you will not succeed. There are too many people in the system working against the system. Why should this kind of thing be happening?
“Innocent people are being killed. It’s too much. Enough is enough," Oritsejafor told the audience.
He urged the federal government and other critical stakeholders to adopt a more pragmatic approach in bringing to an end the activities of Boko Haram, contending that the use of force alone cannot stop the insurgency.
“Even though I have said the military must continue to work harder, guns and bullets alone will not solve this problem. Boko Haram is an ideology. Let us not run away from it. You do not defeat an ideology with guns and bullets. You defeat an ideology with a superior ideology. Boko Haram will not listen to me.
“I want to make an appeal to our Muslim clerics and Muslim political leaders to come together and see how they can help us solve this problem. They have the solution. There are some Muslim scholars Boko Haram members respect. To a large extent, that is the only way out.
“As members of CAN, we are ready to meet with them. I believe in progressive dialogue. This is my strong appeal. I want to appeal to those at the grassroots. This connects to the leaders. The leaders should talk to those at the grassroots. They should give reliable intelligence to our security agents. Please, do not harbour these people. They are not fighting for you. Expose them.
“I know we have some members of the press here. I hope they will pass the message. We want a better Nigeria, where everyone is equal and respects the constitution. In fact, we want one constitution where everyone will follow. Those saying Boko Haram is not religious are deceiving themselves.
“We want a Nigeria where everyone is safe. We want a Nigeria where a man is not judged by his religion. That is the Nigeria we all want. If we want one united Nigeria, we must all pay the price for it,” he charged.
He called on the international community to come to the aid of Nigeria and Nigerians, but still held the belief that the country would surmount its current challenges, ensuring that terrorism is defeated.
“I believe as bad as the situation is, with God, all things are possible. I know that there is God.
He will not forsake us. We have restrained our people so much and we will continue to restrain them. But I beg Nigerians not to let this continue. These are dangerous and serious times.
“I was reading a report from a priest in Borno of how churches have been destroyed. I wonder why the international community is not saying anything. Is this not human rights violation? We call on government, NEMA, NGOs, the international community. We need help. Our people are dying. Come and help us,” he pleaded.
On the forthcoming general election, Oritsejafor called on all Christians across the country to register and vote, stating that they must participate in who governs them.
Oritsejafor explained that CAN suspects a cover-up on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the poor handling of the distribution of the permanent voters' cards.
He cautioned against any plan to disenfranchise Christians, stressing that such moves would be resisted.
“I want to say passionately to Nigerians. Go and get your voters’ cards. I want to appeal to INEC to double up. Our people must register and have their voters’ cards. I hope INEC is not doing something deliberate here in order to prevent Christians from voting. I hope Professor Attahiru Jega can hear me. We must all vote and vote wisely,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of French construction giant Lafarge, Bruno Lafont, yesterday gave the all-clear after Ashaka Cement factory, a subsidiary of the group in Gombe State, came under attack from suspected Boko Haram militants.
“The factory was the target of the intruders. There were no injuries. There was no damage to the factory,” Lafont told reporters.
“This morning (Wednesday) the situation is still calm and everything has returned to normal,” he said, adding that the intruders had left the factory.
Lafarge sources said the factory, which employs roughly 500 people, was “running as normal”.
At roughly 3.00pm (1400 GMT) on Tuesday, gunmen thought to be members of Boko Haram raided the Ashaka Cement plant in Nafada Local Government Area, Gombe State.
An employee told AFP that they looted dynamite and demanded to be taken to the room in the compound housing expatriates.
He said the plant was mostly empty, with staff running for safety when news spread that the gunmen were approaching.
