The Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has vowed to mobilise to accompany the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah to honour an invitation by the Department of State Services (DSS).
President of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, said this in a Sunday statement, titled ‘We will mobilise Christian youths across the country to answer DSS invitation of Bishop Kukah’.
According to the group, the DSS invited Kukah for berating President Muhammadu Buhari in a comment on insecurity in the nation.
YOWICAN dared the secret police to extend a similar invitation to a popular Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi for “interfacing with bandits”.
Read Also: IPOB frowns at Buhari’s stance on Nnamdi Kanu’s release
“The attention of YOWICAN has been drawn to the purported invitation extended to Bishop Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese. Bishop Kukah committed no offence; rather the government should channel her energy in the fight to liberate the country from terrorists and bandits.
“Recently, more than 200 people were killed in Zamfara State and villagers displaced. This is disheartening indeed. We will mobilise all Christian youth across the country to honour this invitation.
“The DSS has extended her invitation to us, not Bishop Kukah, and we will honour it. The DSS should first invite Ahmad Gumi for questioning for interfacing with bandits.
“Controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has advised people in the terrorised North-West of Nigeria on how they can live in peace with the armed bandits occupying their forests,” the statement read in part.
He quoted Gumi to have said that people could develop “mutual relationship with the bandits without being harmed”.
Enwere added that the popular Islamic cleric has been “fraternising with the bandits and he has been working freely without any invitation from the DSS or police”.
“The DSS has invited Bishop Matthew Kukah for questioning, days after the prominent Catholic priest ramped up his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to curb nationwide insecurity.
“Bishop Kukah had slammed President Buhari in his Christmas sermon, saying the Nigerian leader has failed to show competence as terrorists, bandits and other violent criminals embark on a coordinated and relentless rampage across the country,” the statement further read.