Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA) has expressed sadness and outrage over the abduction and killing of the Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Reverend Father Sylvester Okechukwu, by terrorists while urging the government to rise to its responsibility and end the wave of violence in the State.

According to the Christian leaders in the Southern part of Kaduna State, this inhumane act is not only a painful loss to the Church but also a disturbing indication of the worsening insecurity in the land.

In a statement issued by the Chairman of SKCLA, Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure at the weekend said, “We stand with you in this moment of grief and pray that God grants you the strength and comfort to bear this tragic loss.”

“This unfortunate incident is part of a troubling pattern of attacks on clergymen in Southern Kaduna. We painfully recall the abduction and brutal killing of Rev. Fr. John Mark Cheitnum in 2022, the assassination of Pastor Musa Mairiga of ECWA Church, and the numerous cases of kidnappings and killings of Christian leaders across our communities.”

“These repeated assaults on men of God raise serious concerns: Is this a deliberate and systematic attack on Christians, particularly priests and pastors?

“We hope that both Federal and State security apparatus will do something drastic to check this before it begins to carry a religious undertone that might undermine the hard-earned peace in the state. They may be criminal but why is the church clerics the only target?”


https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/metro/southern-kaduna-leaders-condemn-kidnap-murder-of-catholic-priest/