Some yet-to-be-identified arsonists have set ablazed, a Redeem Church located along Federal College of Education (FCE) road in Kontagora, Niger state.
In a statement released on Sunday, the leadership of Redeemed Christian Church of God in the state revealed that some unidentified hoodlums allegedly set the church on fire on Saturday.
DAILY GIST gathered that the same church had been burnt down 10 years ago by unidentified hoodlums who had warned that the church building should not be completed.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger state, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, condemned the incident by the suspected arsonists.
He, who also serves as the Bishop of the Diocese of Kontagora Catholic Church, described the incident as barbaric and uncalled for.
He emphasized the need for the government to take proper action by ensuring that the culprits are brought to book.
According to the Cleric, “There is freedom of worship in Niger state, I am sure by the time the government and security agencies take action, it will go a long way to address any form of tension that may want to escalate beyond control.
“We are hoping that the law will take its course. To be frank, issues like this must be tamed and people who have done this should be fished out and made to face the law.”
An Assistant Pastor of the church, Pastor Samson Ogbebor said the incident occurred around 3:00 am on Saturday.
According to Ogbebor, who narrated how the incident occured said “I got a distress call that our Church was on fire and on getting there I met a church that has been in existence for the past 20 years being burnt down and properties looted by hoodlums.
“This Church has faced lots of challenges, sometimes in about 10 years ago, hoodlums came and burnt it down completely and with self efforts we were able to erect it again.
“We have made several unsuccessful attempts but they have refused us the permission to roof it properly and we decided to be using it like that for worship but look at what they have done today again.”
While appealing to Governor Umaru Bago, the Emir of Kontagora, Alhaji Muhammadu Bari Mu’azu II and all relevant security agencies to treat the incident with all seriousness it deserved, he disclosed that the incident has been reported to the ‘A’ Division Police station in Kontagora for investigation and to bring the perpetrators to book.
In his reaction, the Coordinator of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kontagora, Very Rev. Fr. Musa John Ghado appreciated God and commended the efforts of Governor Bago and the State CAN Chairman, Most Rev (Dr) Bulus Dauwa Yohanna and all other actors who did not support the #EndBadGovernance Protests, saying that will have provided a good opportunity for churches in the area to come under attack
“By now, we would have been counting our losses because these hoodlums would have seized the opportunity to cause havoc on innocent lives and properties”.
He however encouraging the parishioners and all Christians in the state to follow the way of Jesus Christ and remain calm, peaceful and seek the face of God as they continue with their worship, promising that the issue will be forwarded to the state CAN for further action.
