Protests rock Onitsha, Edo 

From Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti, Fred Itua, Abuja, Tony Osauzo, Benin and Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

Embattled cleric, Apostle Suleiman Johnson of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, whose arrest by the Department od State Services (DSS) was prevented by Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose early yesterday morning, has opened up on the foiled plan.

The cleric has also denied reports which alleged he incited Christians to kill Muslims.

Governor Fayose prevented the DSS from arresting the pastor in Ado Ekiti, over comments he made a couple of weeks ago, which the authorities branded as too ‘caustic’ and ‘inflammatory’.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Pastor Suleiman clarified that what he actually said was the need for Christians to always defend themselves anytime the church is invaded by gunmen. He said he never incited Christians to attack Muslims or herdsmen.  The cleric added that it was sinful for anyone to order a fellowman to kill another creature of God, describing the alleged comment as a misrepresentation of facts.

“They said I preached in Auchi two weeks ago in which they said I instigated Christians against  Muslims. I have always been an advocate of peace and I cannot say such. There are widows and orphans we take care of. No leader will see his shepherd being killed and be happy.

“Later, I got anonymous calls from Fulani herdsmen about what I said. What I said was that, if gunmen come around church to attack churches, you must defend yourself, but, if they come to pray, don’t attack. I was quoted out of context. I am not stupid, I live among the crowd and I am not senseless. Time for self defence has come. Whether you are a Muslim or Christian, someone cannot just come to your house and kill your children and you will keep quiet.

“I said Christians must not go after them, but, if they come after us, then defend yourself. This is what they twisted. I am hearing different versions of the story. I was in Abuja for three days, why did they not come after me? But, now that I am in Ekiti, they wanted to lump me up with a man they think is against them. It could  have been easier to pick me up in Abuja, I don’t live here.

“If this will make them to clarify what I meant, I can present the video of my preaching. A town in Aviele in Edo State, Muslims rushed into the church and chased away all church members. I have always been preaching that youths must not kill. It was even wrong for the police or security agents to be coming around me and be saying I preached that I said Christians should kill Muslims without any verifiable facts.

“The only thing I am seeing is that we must learn how to investigate. I am not happy because of the way Christian community has been reacting. They are even saying they will protest abroad, in all Nigerian embassies. I will never be alive and see Christians destroying property of Muslims because there will be problem.

“If they had called me and said I should tone down what I said, I would have gone back to do that. I have never been invited, but, if I am invited, I will come but that will be at my own time. I was not stopped from preaching…”

From Abuja, his Communications Adviser, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said in a statement to newsmen that, “what most people do not know is that Apostle Suleiman’s father was a Muslim. He was born into a Muslim family. He has brothers and sisters that are Muslims and enjoy cordial relationship with them. So, to brand him anti-Islam or anti-Muslim is being mischievous or taking apostle’s message out of context.”

“It is sad a government that promised a new dawn for Nigerians on May 29, 2015 under a president who pledged to ‘allow all arms of government (including free press) to function optimally and avoid the confusion which all too often bedevils governance’, has now resorted to a tactic that was so cruelly employed by the military in the country’s not-too-distant past. Is this the Change that President Buhari promised Nigerians?

““There is no way the Buhari administration will escape the kind of issues that Apostle Suleman has raised if it does not stop the senseless killing of innocent Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen.

“We are calling on the government to leave Apostle Suleman alone and apologise to him for the unwarranted intimidation and harassment to which he was subjected on Wednesday morning.”

Meanwhile, members of the church in Anambra State trooped into the streets of Onitsha, yesterday, to protest Suleiman’s  attempted arrest, after his crusade in Ekiti, on Tuesday.

The church members, led by the state Pastor, Kingsley Unokhogie caused gridlock along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway before proceeding to the Idemili North Council headquarters, Ogidi where the nearest DSS office from their church is located.

The members, who shouted solidarity songs in honour of their general overseer, also said the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of the relevant authorities on the killing of Christians in the country, saying ‘enough is enough’.

Addressing newsmen after registering their grievances, Pastor Unokhogie said the aim of the peaceful protest was to drum it into the ears of the DSS that any attack on Apostle Suleiman or attempt to arrest him is an attack on the entire church/Christians in Nigeria.

He said the constitution of Nigeria gave the citizens right to freedom of worship and called on the Federal Government to respect the citizen’s rights in Nigeria.

Head Pastor of the church in Benin, Pastor Azemhe Azena said the cleric is not a common criminal that should be intimidated from speaking the truth, adding that if the DSS had anything against him, they should have invited him to their office for questioning.

“Over the last couple of months, thousands of defenceless Christians have been killed across various cities in Nigeria, with nearly a thousand, so far killed in Southern Kaduna alone. Shockingly, there has been no firm statement or action by the Nigerian government to stop these destruction of lives and property, neither has anyone been arrested or charged to court.

“However, Apostle Johnson Suleman, in his love for Nigeria and as God’s representative to the people, has refused to keep quiet about all these immoral happenings and he has continued to speak truth to the people in authority; calling on the government to do the needful and protect the citizens,” he said.