popularly called the Winners Chapel, in Giwa,
headquarters of Giwa Local Government Area
of Kaduna State, has been set ablaze.
The church, founded by Bishop David
Oyedepo, was reportedly set ablaze by two
unidentified arsonists.
During the incident that happened on March
20, 2015 at about 2:30pm, nothing was saved
from the church.
The burning of the church came a few
months after the reported endorsement of
President Goodluck Jonathan by Oyedepo.
A terse statement issued on Thursday in
Abuja by the President of Tarayyar
Masihiyawan Nijeria (Hausa, Fulani and
Kanuri Christians), General Ishaku Ahmed
Dikko (rtd), and the Director of National
Issues of the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Sunny Oibe, entitled: “Presidential Elections
2015: Signs of what to expect,” called on
security agencies to act fast to avoid violence
in the area.
According to Dikko and Oibe, the Christians in
the North, particularly the Hausa, Fulani and
Kanuri speaking Christians, who are
indigenous in these states and live within and
among their kith and kin, “are in serious
jeopardy”.
The statement reads in full: “Giwa is the
Headquarters of Giwa Local Government Area
of Kaduna State. On Friday, 20 March, 2015 at
about 2:30 pm, two (2) unknown hoodlums on
a motorcycle drove into the premises of
Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) and set
it ablaze.
“The Church was razed to the ground and
nothing was saved from the Church including
the building. This action surprised the
Christian Community especially the Church
members, as there was no tension or any sign
of it between Christians and Muslims in the
town.
“It is, however, a known fact that the people
of the Local Government have not been
friendly with the Christian Community even
though over 90 percent of them are of the
same Huasa-Fulani indigenes.
“The incident actually became more
worrisome when no effort was made by a
passersby to assist in putting out the fire. In
fact, it was a Fulani herdsman that saw the
fire and reported to the Police Station. Only
one Policeman and a Christian volunteer that
ran to the scene and attempted to put out the
fire but of course could not achieve anything.
“This situation and the circumstances
surrounding the incidence are a cause of
serious concern. If this can happen more than
a week to the Presidential Elections, what
shall we expect during or after the elections?
Is this a sign of what to expect or a dress
rehearsal of a repeat of 2011 Post – Election
Violence? This is a wakeup call to the
Federal, State and Local Government
Authorities,especially the Security Agencies.
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