CAN calls for justice over woman killed on alleged blasphemy

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged the Kano State government and the inspector general of Police to bring to book those responsible for the alleged killing of a Christian woman in the city.

CAN said it was deeply sad by the news of the “release without trial of the five suspects accused of killing a 74-year-old Christian woman in Kano, Mrs Bridget Agbahime”.

She was murdered sometime in June.

A statement in Abuja by CAN’s Director Legal and Public Affairs Kwamkur Samuel said: “This is a highly provocative and insulting act on our collective sensitivities as a democratic nation if newspaper reports are correct.

“The association condemns the continuous act of killing of innocent Nigerians under the pretence of blasphemy and considers the wilful absence of justice for victims of these mindless killings in Nigeria by relevant authorities as a 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 life and property of 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 association called on the state government and the IGP to execute justice on behalf of the victim

“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.

“CAN deeply sympathises with the family of the Kano victim over the rather very sad outcome of the case and assures that the pursuit of justice is a noble task of all well-meaning citizens working together toward a more decent and better society.

“As the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, we will not relent in our effort to ensure that justice is served on the religiously intolerant and to ensure that all Nigerians are treated equally irrespective of their faith, social status and where they come from.”