CAN seeks Buhari’s intervention in Emirs’ abduction of Christian girls

By Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja,

…Protests hindrance of Christians in the north

The Northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday met with President Muhammadu Buhari and sought for his intervention in the reported abduction, conversion and forced marriages of underage Christian girls linked to some Emirs in the country.

One of the latest abduction concerns Mr. Isiyaku Tanko of Warkaza community in Kudun Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, who accused the Emir of Katsina of forcefully abducting and marrying his 14-year-old daughter, Habiba Isiyaku, and denying her of her constitutional rights.

Habiba was alleged to have been abducted on August 16, 2016, by an official of Emir of Katsina and staff in the palace, Jamilu Lawal.

The Katsina emirate had however denied the allegations that Habiba was eventually forcefully married out to one Mr. Jamilu Lawal, who works as an aide in the palace, but said the girl converted to Islam on her own volition and was later married out according to Islamic rites.

The police in the state have expressed helplessness over the matter.

After leading the delegation to the President at the State House on Thursday, the Northern CAN Chairman, Yakubu Pam told State House correspondents that the group congratulated Buhari on the recent marriage of his daughter in Katsina and pleaded with him to convince other northern leaders to emulate such respectable processes in contracting marriages.

Besides the difficulty faced by Christians in practicing their faith in the North, he said that another major issue raised by the clerics was the incessant attacks on northern farmers by Fulani herdsmen, which has adversely affected the efforts of youths in the region to intensify agricultural production.

According to him, Buhari's response to the issues were positive, saying: "was very positive as he promised us he was going to look into them".

He added: "We came to present ourselves as the Northern CAN chapter to the President and to tell him some of the challenges that Northern Christians are passing through.

"One of those challenges is that we are having difficulties in expressing our faith in the northern part of the country. We have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through with the Fulani herdsmen.

"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, there is no employment; that is why farmers must be protected.

"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. These are the issues we told the President.

"We congratulated him on the wedding of his daughter, the fight against corruption and Boko Haram war as people have started returning to their homes; as well on the return of the Chibok girls," he stated.