IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

By Jonathan Isaiah,

The northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) met with President Muhammadu Buhari over the rise in the abduction of Christian girls in the north.

Led by Chairman Northern CAN, Yakubu Pam, they warned that if this recent trend is not addressed, it will lead to a serious crisis in the north.

Leadership recalls that Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman has been accused of marrying off 14 year old Habiba Isiyaku to her kidnapper, Jamilu Lawal. Habiba’s father alleged that his daughter was kidnapped from school, Government Senior Secondary School, Kudun Kankara, Kastina State by Jamilu and has been forcefully converted to Islam and married off by the Emir without her parents’ consent to Lawal.

There is also a case of 14 Year Old Ifesinach Ani who  was abducted in Abuja and taken to Maiduguri, then Zaria, where she is said to have been married off and 13 Year Old Blessing Gopep who  was stolen at age 12 in 2015 by two people, Iliyu and Umaru from Bauchi motor park. Her name has been changed to Mariam.

Others are; Patience Paul  a 15-year-old school girl who was forcefully abducted in Sokoto State by two men, Ifeoma Nichodemus who is 16 was allegedly kidnapped and reportedly left her parents’ home in the Hausa community in Zaria, Kaduna in May 2014 after a fight with her mother and 16 Year Old Linda Christopher who  was stolen at age 16 in November 2015 by a certain Shagari in Bauchi and amongst others.

Speaking to State House Correspondents on Thursday after meeting with President Buhari at the presidential Villa, Pam said they came to present themselves as the northern CAN chapter to the President and tell him some of the challenges that Northern Christians are passing through.

According to them, some of the child abductors should take a cue from President Buhari who married off his daughter properly last weekend.

Pam said, we also talked on the Issue of girl child abduction in the north, in some Northern states some young girls and children are being abducted at 12 years old and the parents will just hear that the girls have been married to traditional rulers and emirs.

“This is gathering a cloud of crisis already and if that is not taken care of it will lead to a serious crisis. This are the issues we told the President. ”

According to him, one of the challenges is that Christians are having difficulties in expressing their faith in the northern part of the country.

“We have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through, the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers need to be protected and in fact we told the President that we have been encouraging our youths to go into farming and they need to be protected and when they come into the city, they is no employment, that is why farmers must be protected.

“We congratulated him on the wedding of his daughter, the fight against corruption, Boko Haram war as people have started returning to their homes and the return of the Chibok girls, Pam said.

On the President’s response, he said, the President response was very positive as he promised us he was going to look into them.

Leadership,ngr