- Bandits have been killing our pastors with impunity – CAN State Chairman Hayab
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, has vowed to clean the State of kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminalities, vowing that under his watch residents in the State will sleep with two eyes closed.
Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with Christians leaders under the umbrella of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State, CP Garba appealed to Clergies to feel free to give information that could lead to arresting and prosecuting criminals in the society.
The meeting which was convened at the instance of the Police Commissioner was held at the Albarka Baptist church in Barnawa area of Kaduna city.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the State chairman of CAN, Reverend Joseph Hayab recalled the number of pastors being kidnapped and killed by bandits in the past few years.
Reverend Hayap expressed satisfaction with the meeting initiated by the CP, saying it would go a long way to restore the people’s confidence in constituted authority.
CP Garba said, “I sat down in my office and looked at the situation in the State. The very day I resumed office, members of the press approached me, asking me what I intend to do immediately. I said my intention is to ensure that Kaduna residents sleep with their two eyes closed. What I did was to call all the DPOs for a meeting and I told them that whether they heard me when I told Kaduna people that I want them to sleep with their two eyes closed. They said yes. And I told them that they are the ones who are going to execute it. My own is to support you and I will give you every support you need to keep Kaduna peaceful.
“I came with many strategies because I am very familiar with community policing. I told the DPOs that the first thing they should do is to bring the people in the communities close themselves. This is because they are the people that know their environments. You can’t go to a place and meet people and think that you know better than them. It is not possible. I also told them that they must bring back the past glory of Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC). We used to have a very active PCRC in Kaduna State. I once served here in the State and I participated in the activities of PCRC then.
“They must bring back the PCRC activities. They should contact the heads of PCRC and meet with them so that they can contact other communities, and they have been doing that. The essence of my visit is to strengthen the relationship between the police and religious leaders because I discovered that if you want to catch them young as they normally say, you have to use strategy. If you want to get the attention of large people is when they are in religious centre. So I visited Mosques and I visited some churches. One thing with me is that whenever I am in the midst of religious people, be it any religion, I feel happy, and I feel save and comfortable.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the family of the Catholic Seminarian that was killed by bandits at Kamantan last week in Zango Kataf local government area. That incident has really touched my heart. You can see the kindof callous people we have. People that can kill at random.
“It is unfortunate that the CAN chairman mentioned about 23 Clergies that were killed by bandits in Kaduna State at various times. It is unfortunate. However, this thing has been happening not only to the Christian Clergies, but it happened to almost everybody because crimes have no tribe, no religion.
“Criminals have no compassion, criminals are evils. If they want to do what they want to do they don’t look at who you are. Just a week before the Kamantan incident, bandits went to a village in Ikara local government area and killed the Imam and his deputy in a Mosque while they were praying”. CP Garba said.
According to Reverend Hayap, “We have lost over 23 Pastors to bandits in Kaduna in the last few years. The recent one was the killing of Pastor of Reverend Jeremiah Wayo when he went to his farm in Kujama in Chikun local government area. He hails from Kano State and he was serving God in Kaduna when the bandits shot and killed him. He was buried last week Monday.
“Then the unfortunate incident that happened in Fadan Kamantan also added to the number of God’s servants that bandits have killed in Kaduna State. Let me say this to you, Commissioner, that over 200 churches have been shut down by bandits. The Baptist church probably have over 100 of their churches shut down. From Birnin Gwari to Chikun and Kajuru, the churches are no longer there”.