Abdulrahman Dambazau, former minister of interior, says Muslims make up the majority of victims of insecurity in the north-east.
Mathew Kukah, Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, in an
address to the US Congress Commission, had accused President Muhammadu Buhari
of showing preference to people of his religion which according to him, has
worsened the rivalry between Christians and Muslims.
Kukah said the Buhari administration has failed to address
insecurity but the presidency had replied the Catholic bishop, accusing him of
trying to sow discord and strife among Nigerians.
Speaking on security challenges in the country in an
interview with The Nation, Dambazau said contrary to Kukah’s claim, most of the
victims of insecurity in the north-east are Muslims.
The former minister said although churches and Christian
pastors have been attacked, mosques and Islamic clerics have not been spared.
“We all know that the main thrust of this crisis is in the
northeast, and most of the victims, without contradictions, I will say more
than 95 percent, are Muslims,” Dambazau said.
“The concentration of this violence is in Zamfara, not far
from where he (Kukah) lives.
“And he knows that 99
percent of the people in Zamfara are Muslims and almost on a weekly basis, we
hear of 40s, 50s and 60s being killed by these bandits in Zamfara.
“So, for him to use that as a way of Christian persecution
is what really surprised me. I think as a bishop and man of God, if he is
fighting any kind of injustice, he should fight for humanity.”
Dambazau said the insecurity issue is not about religion or
a particular set of people but that Kukah is making the situation “look as if
it is a systemic issue that maybe the government is coming out, as a matter of
policy, to persecute these people”.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com