The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, yesterday, urged Nigerians not to give up on the struggle for inter-religious harmony in the country.
According to him, those who attempt to gain selfish advantages without respect for rights or ethics, and through forms of extremism must be opposed.
Kaigama said this during his homily at St. Louis Church, Efab Global Estate Abuja, against the backdrop of last week’s murder of Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto.
The cleric said Nigerians should not give up on the pursuit of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence, but “must continue to speak up in a common voice and act in solidarity with one another against the evils of our time.”
He said, “Last Thursday, May 12, while we were at the maiden National Conference on Inter-religious Dialogue, on ‘Rethinking Interfaith, Cultural, Ecumenical and Religious Dialogue In Nigeria’s Pluralistic Context’, held at Veritas University, Abuja, to collectively seek further ways of enhancing religious harmony and peaceful co-existence, we were saddened by the news of the attack and gruesome murder of Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, accused of religious blasphemy.
“There are commendably many Christians and Muslims speaking out in condemnation of the dastardly act of killing a human being in the name of religion.
“In condemning the act and dissociating it from the true practice of Islam, one Muslim mentioned and I quote him, ‘love is the first religion’.
“Together, we must not give up on the struggle, to continue to bridge the gap that keeps us far apart because of religious bias, ethnic rivalry and other artificial categorisations. We must not allow our religious values to be redefined by fanatics, criminal and dubious elements of society.
“Religions means to wish others well, to show compassion, mutual support and cooperation for what sues for peace, justice and equity. Love is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, rich in mercy and reaches out to all.
“Our love for one another challenges us to break down the walls of enmity, hatred, apathy, disunity, segregation and strife that have torn families, communities, races, and nations apart.”
The archbishop also said that love for religion, politics, and culture or for whatever cause must never make any Nigerian take the life of another person.
“There can be no true religion without love and there can be no genuinely religious person without the practice of true love. We, who call ourselves religious, must wear the ‘garment of love’,” he added.
Similarly, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins condemned in very strong terms the stoning and killing of Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu in Sokoto State by a mob of overzealous students for alleged blasphemy.
He also charged the law enforcement agencies to quickly swing into action to investigate the matter to identify the culprits and bring them to justice according to the Nigerian criminal law.
He said that the alleged killing of young Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education is appalling, provocative, and inhuman.
Such acts, if not checked forthwith, he warned, are capable of further exacerbating religious tension, thereby causing disaffection amongst the peace-loving people of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the Director of Social Communications, Rev. Father Anthony Godonu, the archbishop, while condoling with the family of the deceased student and the good people of Sokoto State, and indeed, all Nigerians of goodwill, also prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased whose life was cut short in her prime.
“I feel very saddened by the callous manner Deborah Yakubu’s life was cut short in her prime by a bloodthirsty jungle justice mob. It shows how little the value that some people place on human life.
“This act once again attests to the fact that much still needs to be done in this country for us to appreciate the fact that every human life is sacred and invaluable, something to be nurtured and never trivialised.
“When you murder a fellow human being on an allegation of blasphemy you have not only committed murder but have sown the seed of hatred, suspicion and triggered corresponding negative emotions that could snowball into a deep crisis. No one has a right to arbitrarily shed human blood.
“It is not in our Constitution; it is not in our customs or tradition. Such an act is archaic and reprehensible and should be expunged totally from our DNA. All those found culpable in this killing must be made to face the consequences and we must all ensure that justice is seen to be done.”
Martins also called upon all Nigerians to be calm and to shun all acts of violence as we all await the action of the security agents in dealing with this heinous act of criminality irrespective of the motive behind it.