Catholic Bishops hold mass for families, victims of Kajuru killing

Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Dr. Mathew Man-oso Ndagoso on Monday, led the Bishops of Sokoto, Zaria, Minna, Kano and the administrator of Kafanchan to conduct mass for victims of the series of killings in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State over the years.

Over the years, the crises in Kajuru especially Kasuwan Magani had continued unabated, claiming lives and the destruction of property valued in millions of naira.

The development forced the administration of Governor Nasir el-Rufai in August, to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the violent conflict and killings in Kajuru and Kachia Local Government Areas of the state which is the gateway to Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue States.

Meanwhile, the bishops drawn from the northern part of the country have decried the crisis which had rocked the area over the years.

They identified injustice by political leaders in the country as the major cause of unrest and crisis in the country calling the Federal Government to work towards finding lasting solutions to the persistent crisis.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Dr. Mathew Kukah while addressing the gathering of hundreds of families of victims of Kajuru crisis, urged the people not to entrust their faith on politicians.

Kuka, who spoke at the St. Augustine Catholic Church, Kufana in Kajuru Local Government Area, argued that Nigerians should entrust their faith on God instead of politicians.

According to him, the attack on the communities in Kajuru should be a lesson to all not entrust their faith on politicians.

He said those that lost their lives was not as a result of divine calling but from evil men, noting that their coming to the community was to meet with both Christian and Muslim and to see how to make them live in peace and unity.

Kuka said, "The violence that occurred in the area should teach Nigerians a great lesson not to entrust their faith in politicians but God.

"Those that were killed did not die by the divine calling of God but were killed by evil men. And this is the kind of thinking that says if you successfully robbed somebody it is because God wants that person to be robbed, or when politicians carry out violence and rig elections and come to power it is because God wants it to be so.

"My own God of the Catholic church is not a supporter of evil and such thinking cannot be right. Our coming here is to see all affected persons, irrespective of tribe, religion is encouraged, and both Muslims and Christians in Kajuru to stand in unity and for peace and that you don’t allow the evil men to take advantage of the crack in your relationship and will not find space to enter."

Also, speaking with newsmen shortly after the mass, Archbishop Ndagoso, accused the Nigerian political leaders of injustice.

He said injustice over the years had robbed the nation of the peace and unity required among the citizens in advancing the development and growth of Nigeria.

The cleric, who claimed that as Church leaders, they were in the community "as Church leaders to give hope, console and give joy in all circumstances of life to the families of victims of the crisis," noted that most of the crisis across the country was because of injustice by government.

Ndagoso said: "We all know the story of Kajuru local government crises, especially within last year and the two quarters of this year. We knew what happened. If there are problems between farmers and herders it is not for us as religious leaders to take sides. Ours is to say the truth and ensure that justice is done to everybody.

"And we all know that we are where we are in this country because of inequality, simply because people are treated differently in terms of the provisions of infrastructural facilities.

"And so, where there are disparities and people are treated unequally there are bound to be problems. So, this is where we stand as religious and catholic leaders. Our own is to give hope and also strengthen the people."

The cleric added, "I can tell you that if you dig deep down it is not only the crisis here in Kajuru, it is not only the crisis in the north or Niger Delta. Most of these things are hinged on injustice.

"Look at, when the Niger Delta boys were struggling to emancipate their people, money was being lifted, dollars were being harvested from their own territory, meanwhile the whole area was polluted, destroyed and fishermen lost their means of livelihood as a result of the pollution. And yet they see resources being carted away out of their areas. And here in the north, you can see it happening also.

"Peoples lands are been taken away, ancestral lands being occupied and there is are threats here and there. And nothing has been done by the government to ameliorate the plight of the people. It is the duty of government to protect the interests of every citizen."

Apart from conducting mass for the victims and families, the catholic leaders also visited the Fulani communities in the area where they met with the leaders and parley with them on how they should join hands with their Christian neighbors for the purpose of ensuring peace and development in the State.

The Northern Catholic bishops made a donation of 2.5 million Naira to the victims and also supported the Fulani communities with financial assistance.