Archbishop of Jos appeals for help to address losses of $125,000 in recent violence
15 December 2008
Dear Friends,
Peace and greetings.
We are slowly settling down to accept the difficulties we are in and to ask for grace to be able to move forward. We are extremely sad that our members were killed for no other reason than that they were Christians, and that many Christians lost their businesses and homes simply because they are Christians.
It is utterly sad that the reason for these attacks is being said to be political. It grieves my heart that such a reason can be adduced for the outright persecution of Christians on the Plateau. In Greece where for a whole week the nation saw mayhem and destruction of property and businesses based on the killing of a 15 year old boy, the riots slowly developed and became political. There no Church or Mosque was destroyed, no persons were singled out and killed for their religious beliefs. In our own case in Jos, however, the opposite was the case and government buildings remain untouched, political party offices are intact and the police are not the target. One therefore wonders why it is said to be political.
For the records, let me point out the following:
1. It should be pointed out that there is no record that Christians have ever begun a crisis or been the ones to initiate violence. Even during the crisis period itself there was no mass attack on Muslims in areas where non-Muslims were in the majority. The reverse , however, is not true, as non-Muslims living in a predominantly Muslim area were extremely vulnerable.
2. The recent crisis was said to have been triggered off by the just concluded Plateau State Local Government Elections. It must be mentioned that the results had not yet been released when some Muslim youths unleashed mayhem on Jos North Local Government area. We wish to state that:
a. the Muslim youths had encircled the entire routes into Jos and caused blockades on the main roads so that people wishing to come into Jos or go out of Jos could not do so. A majority of those trapped and killed or injured were Christians who were running for safety.
b. the propaganda machine spearheaded by BBC and CNN reported that 300 corpses, purported to be Muslim bodies, were seen in a mosque a few hours later.
i.Were there really 300 bodies? Where is the evidence?
ii.Were they all Muslim corpses?
iii. What are their names, their addresses and nationalities?
iv. Unless these corpses can be traced to an address and locality the reporters have done nothing except to project the church in a bad light and to scapegoat Christians and cause reprisal attacks to the detriment of Nigeria as a nation. In any case were these supposed 300 dead people killed by Christians?
3. We are disturbed by the fact that in this case in the November / December crisis in Jos foreigners were said to have been involved in the fighting. Some of the Muslims youths and foreigners were also alleged to have been arrested in military and police uniforms. It is most shocking to us that foreigners, for the sake of religion, should have a higher status than Nigerians in their country. Worse still is the fact that Nigerians are prepared to hire foreigners to kill their fellow countrymen, destroy the economy of their fellow countrymen, and loot the properties of the fellow countrymen – all in the name of politics or religion.
4. As in 2001, 2004 and now in 2008, it is fairly obvious that the Muslim sect(s) who hold the view that the Church must not be allowed to exist in the North of Nigeria – and if possible in the whole of Nigeria – do not need to be provoked to begin burning churches, killing Christians and destroying Christian businesses; that they will stop at nothing, including using political means, economic power, and outright violence in subduing, subjugating or relocating non-Muslim communities in this country; and that they will use whatever means possible, including foreign links and the international media for propaganda, lies and calumny against the Church.
Up to this point we have collated records of our losses of homes, businesses, churches and property to the tune of slightly over N1400,000,000.00 (approximately $125,000.00). From amongst our own members 9 were killed, 8 injured, 42 adults displaced, 3 churches destroyed, 56 homes destroyed or looted, 57 businesses destroyed or looted, 26 vehicles destroyed. Full details can be found on our website www.anglicandioceseofjos.org. Help and assistance can be sent to us via the Rev. Canon Chris Sugden to Anglican International Development, 21 High Street, Eynsham, OX29 4HE, UK (further details from csugden@anglican-mainstream.net); or to Open Heavens Foundation, 3201 Preston Hollow Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76109.
The Lord be with you,
+Most Rev. Dr. Benjamin A. Kwashi
Archbishop of Jos
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