Lagos, Nigeria (dailynewyorknews) – Christians in Nigeria loses faith the government to protect them against attacks by Islamic extremists and “respond appropriately” to murder the country’s future, the church group leader , said Wednesday.
In a public message to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Christian Association of Nigeria has called on Christmas Day in churches in several cities, “a declaration of war against Christians and Nigeria as an entity.” The group also criticized their Muslim counterparts for failing to condemn the Islamic militants blamed for attacks on Sunday, calling their responses “unacceptable.”
“The Christian community is losing confidence in the government’s ability to protect our rights to freedom of religion and life,” said its president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor Pentecostal, in the statement. “The consensus is that the Christian community across the country have no choice but to respond appropriately if there are more attacks on our members, churches and properties.”
Nigeria official condemns attacks
Jonathan responded with a statement of condolences for the attacks, the church group said it killed more than 50 followers, and called on Nigerians to unite behind the government’s efforts to prosecute those responsible. The Nigerian authorities have accused Boko Haram, an Islamic fundamentalist movement, which organized the previous similar attack Christmas.
“The best thing is that all religious leaders, opinion leaders and traditional leaders, youth and women leaders to reach out and help governments,” says Jonathan. He promised that his government “will surely do more “but he added:” .. Terrorists are human beings are not the spirits ”
“They live with us. Dine with us, “he said.” We know them. People know them. While Nigerians are committed to expose, we will overcome this difficult situation. ”
Nigeria 150 million people are divided almost equally between Christians and Muslims, especially south of the north. Clashes between the two groups erupted periodically for years, but Boko Haram – which wants to establish a state based on Islamic law in the north – the violence has intensified with a series of high-level attacks in the last two years.
The group claimed responsibility for a car bomb in August in the building housing the UN headquarters in Abuja, which killed 25 people and an assault on the city of Damaturu in November that left over 100 dead .
The church group criticized the Islamic leaders in the north by what he called its lack of action against the attacks, calling it “unacceptable and an abdication of responsibility on members of their extremists.”
“It should be noted that most religious leaders, traditional policies in the North should not have come to openly condemn extremist activities of Boko Haram,” the group said. “We hold them accountable for what happens, because they have not taken concrete steps to control the excesses of its members.”
There was no immediate response to the declaration of Muslim groups. However, Jonathan called on leaders of both religions “to work together, because terrorism is like a cancer on the body -. Who starts somewhere and spreads to all organs of the body”
Jonathan conducted in Nigeria since 2010, became president in office in May and win a full term in April. Government troops were deployed in northern Nigeria, in an effort to destroy Boko Haram, a step that told the Christian leaders was late.
“At first, if the appropriate response was given over to her, could not have developed at this level,” he said.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/28/world/africa/nigeria-church-bombings/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1
