The Northern Nigeria Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) yesterday released a statement expressing reservations and alleging conspiracy in the Chibok schoolgirls abduction.
The chapter said they believe the kidnapping is a conspiracy involving
the governor of the state, Kashim Shettima, the principal of the school,
the chief security officer of Borno & the commissioner for
Education. In the statement, they asked how 300+ girls can disappear
into air without any trace and where the daughters of the principal,
vice principal & CSO of the state were when the kidnapping took
place, and why no single photograph of the Chibok girls has been made
public by school authorities. Find their press statement after the
cut...
CHIBOK: PRESS STATEMENT BY NORTHERN CAN
Abducted female students of Chibok: CAN gives 6 posers to Borno Governor
...says there's conspiracy between Shettima, school authorities
The position of Northern CAN on the abduction of female students in Chibok
Since the abduction of some female students in Chibok Local
Government Area of Borno State, Northern CAN has decided to be silent
for some reasons. We have decided that we will make statements when we
have all the facts of the matter. It may interest Nigerians to know that
we have fundamental questions which demand one million answers:
1.
Since the abduction of these girls over two weeks ago, has Borno
State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, constituted any panel of
investigation with a view to making its report public?
2. How did the 353 female students disappear from the school into the thin air?
3.
Why did the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Principal, Vice
Principal and Chief Security Officer, all Muslims, ignore the valid
advice of WAEC on the security implication of writing exams in the
school and the need to have a centre where the children’s life will be
secured?
4. How did Boko Haram carry over 200 students and their food
stolen by these criminals from the school? Was it carried with trailer?
5.
Why is it that since this issue came up, no single photograph of the
abducted children was made public by the school authorities? After all,
they were preparing for exams and may have submitted their photographs.
6. Where were the daughters of the Principal, Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer when the abduction took place?
We
hope that this is not a political gimmick to carry out a political
conspiracy against these daughters of Nigerians, future mothers of
Nigeria and citizens who are wants to be leaders of tomorrow.
So these are the questions; we have done our investigations, we are
begging the international community, we are begging the Federal
Government of Nigeria and the press to ask these legitimate questions
from the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO of the
school because Chibok is a predominantly Christian area. What we are
after is the safety and future of these children, whether they are
Christians or Muslims or our enemies doesn't matter. They are Nigerians,
first and foremost.
Our positions are as follows:
1. The Governor and government of
Borno State should and must as a matter of urgency stop playing
politics with the lives of the children of other people. They should
produce those children without delay because they know their
whereabouts.
2. We demand an explanation from the Governor, Commissioner for
Education, Principal and CSO of the school on what they did and what
they did not do that led to the ferrying away of these innocent children
who went to sit for an examination for the betterment of their tomorrow.
3. How come that the parents of these children have not been able to
come out and say anything? Are they saying that these children are
orphans and do not have parents? We demand an explanation because from
our investigation, parents of these children are facing intimidation and
threats from the government of Borno State. That is why they could not
come out to speak; but they are nursing their pains in silence.
4. We also demand that the Federal Government and the international
community should help us beg the Governor of Borno State to do
everything within his powers to produce these children.
5. We also
reject a situation where they will turn our daughters to be sex slaves
of these criminals called Boko Haram members. We have it on good
authority that some of these children are being raped 15 times a day.
Some of these children are being compelled to be wives of these
criminals. If you want to marry somebody's daughter, you must seek the
consent of her parents and not to ferry under-aged children and
perpetrate a lot of havoc on them.
The abduction of these girls seems a resurrection of what the
Christian communities in Northern Nigeria have been suffering for
centuries in the hands of the Emirs and Imams regarding forceful
conversion and abduction of Christian girls. Borno State government
should be reminded that the fundamental human rights of these people
should be respected and protected.
The Governor should provide immediate explanation because we know
that some people want to sacrifice these children on the altar of
politics. There is a limit to which Christians would tolerate all these
abnormalities. We suspect a conspiracy among all of these characters
including the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO
since non of the daughters of the teachers and Principal were abducted;
there is more to it and this is the position of Northern CAN.
SIGN:
Wednesday May 7 2014
Prof. Daniel Babayi
Secretary-General
Sunday Oibe
Public Relations Officer
