by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
There were altercations between Borno-born Kanuri human rights activist, Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, and some antagonists over a recent petition submitted to President Donald Trump of US, through embassy by Rev Dikwa, narrating alleged orchestrated killings of Christians in Northern Nigeria by Jihadists, who masquerade as ‘Fulani herdsmen and banditry.’
Rev. Dikwa, who is the Director-General, Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnicity in Nigeria, had chronicled the outrageous attacks and killings of Christians, non-Muslims alike in some parts of the north during President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
The activist signed the petition with his phone numbers, which attracted reactions from personalities across the catchment Muslims-dominated northern states.
Amongst other things, Rev. Dikwa compiled his aggressive responses to his antagonist, who hails from Kano State, and made it available to our correspondent, which reads, in parts:
“In the year 2001, when you were brother, the then Governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yarima Bakura, introduced the so-call Islamic Sharia Jihad law against the then President Olusegun Obasanjo appointment of Service Chiefs from the North Central: Benue, Plateau, Kogi and Kwara and all of them are Christians.
“Then, killing of Christians started from Kaduna, Kano, Jos, Bauchi and many other places. In 2004, in your own state, Kano, Christians, including minority Muslims residing in Kano who are not Hausa/Fulani tribes: e.g., Igala, Ibira, Idoma and Yoruba tribes, had been attacked and killed.
“The Christians and Sen. Moh’d Magoro and the committee invited me and I went with three people. We met with them and they promised to “take serious action,” but nothing has been done. In 2011, DSS invited me and asked me to find the phone contact of the sponsors – so, what are you covering now?
“Minority Muslims met the then Emir of Kano, late Ado Bayaro, concerning their attacks and killing. The late Emir advised them to meet the then governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and they have met him but his response to them was disturbing.
“From 2001, the starting of religious attacks on Christians and their Churches begun, but no single Mosque or Hausa/Fulani Muslim were attacked or killed until 2014 – when the attackers noticed that their sponsors’ withdrawing from open sponsorship.
“Reply to my letter from the Office of the President of the Senate – it was referred to the Senate Chairman Committee on National Security & Intelligence.”
For obvious reasons bothering on his personal security, the Kanuri-born activist volunteered a contact number of the callers, stating, “This is the No. 07033800846.”