The Northern Christian Elders Forum (NOCEF) at the weekend disowned the Arewa Pastors of Non-denominational Initiative for Peace
in Nigeria whose controversial visit to the presidency has unsettled the
Nigerian Christians, especially in the North.
NOCEF said they neither emanated from the
conglomeration of 15 churches under the aegis of Tarayar Ekklisiyoyin Kristi A
Nigeria (TEKAN) (meaning, Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Christians) nor Evangelical
Church Winning All (ECWA), the two blocs of Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) in the North.
While warning President Muhammadu Buhari, “never to
spend tax payers money on them,” the Christian elders threw their weight behind
CAN which described the visiting clerics as aliens to the body of Jesus Christ
in Nigeria.
A statement issued in Jos by the Public Relations
Officer of NOCEF and Secretary of CAN (North West Zone), Rev Sunday Oibe, said:
“Those who betrayed Christians” during their political pilgrimage to President Buhari
“should be treated like Judas Iscariot.”
According to him, the refusal of the so-called
Arewa pastors to demand the release of a female student of Government Science
Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, Leah Sharibu, from Boko Haram captivity
was “a confirmation of the fact that they are not Christians.”
He said: “Ordinarily, just coming out from the
great sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Easter for our salvation, and still
reflecting on the benefits of this sacrifice, we would not have bothered to
respond to them. But for incessant calls from notable Christians across the
country, it is necessary to put the records straight.
“They should be treated like Judas Iscariot because
their action is antithetical to the body of Christ. The summary of the action
of these so-called Arewa pastors led by one John Richard Abu from Benue State,
and the timing is a confirmation that the spirit of Judas Iscariot is still
around and within us.
“For Judas to agree to betray Jesus Christ before
the Jewish authorities and for these unknown Arewa pastors to betray the
Nigerian Christian community who have been crying for the release of Leah
Sharibu has confirmed that Judas is alive among us. We also call on Christians
to intensify their prayers for the immediate and unconditional release of Leah
Sharibu, while we also urge the president to step up and end the killings in
the country.”
Oibe described them as Available-for-use Political
Clerics (APC), whose conducts can best be described as unfortunate.
He said the calibre of those who visited Buhari
have been known to be only relevant at the peak of political activities,
adding: “What we are witnessing now is a rehearsal of what to come during the
2019 general election.”
Oibe queried: “Why are their voices lost over the
continuous captivity of Sharibu, if truly they are men of God as they claimed?
Why are their voices not being heard over the killings in Benue, Plateau,
Taraba, Adamawa, Zamfara, Borno and Yobe States?
“While they were sycophantly singing praises to
Buhari like the Biblical Judas Iscariot, dozens were being slaughtered in
Benue, the home state of John Richard Abu, and as usual, their voices were
lost.
“We hereby state that these strange faces and
political jobbers are unknown to us in the North as they spoke for their
pockets. As such, Buhari should beware of these traitors! Their claim of
Buhari’s good intentions is simply sycophancy because Nigerians voted for an
actionable leader and not a leader whose intention is only known to these
hungry clerics.
“We are telling the president and Nigerian
politicians to be wary of these political jobbers dressed in cassock as their
intentions are out for everybody to see. In particular, we warn the President
Buhari never to spend tax payers money on them.
“We are aware that Buhari knows that these people are
looking for food. Our independent investigation also revealed that the leader
of the pastors, Richard, is unknown in his home state of Benue, and at the
appropriate time, we will expose all of them.”
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