HERDSMEN KILLINGS: CAN split over protests

There seems to be a split within the fold of the umbrella body of Christians in the country, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

This follows the demonstrations organized by the group to protest killings by suspected herdsmen in different parts of the country.

National President of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Dr. Jeremiah Gado, has distanced the church from its members that heeded the CAN call to protest, saying “they are on their own”.

Over 2,000 members of ECWA Goodnews Church, in Sunday took to the streets of Jos, the Plateau State capital because of the protest.

The protesters led by the Senior Pastor, ECWA Goodnews Church, Rev. Joshua Tuwan took the decision in reaction to the directive of the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Dr. Samson Supo Ayokunle and General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Musa Asake.
But Gado said the protest by his members amounted to illegality because “ECWA is not answerable to CAN.

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According to him, ECWA and the chairman of CAN in Plateau State, Soja Bewarang, had jointly decided to opt for prayers and not protest.

He said, “We are not answerable to CAN, ECWA members are answerable to me, the ECWA President. Had we been properly consulted, we would have supported and come out enmasse. It was poorly communicated and poorly coordinated; that is the problem. It was done in a hurry, CAN didn’t do a good job.

“Those who protested in ECWA did that in reaction to CAN directive but they never heard from their leaders. So, those who did it are on their own. The protest was against the killings by suspected herdsmen because of a call by CAN but we were never consulted.

“So, some people decided to do things on their own. We in ECWA are bothered by the killings, but what we wanted was to use the Sunday (as we have declared April 27-29) as days of prayer and fasting for the release of a female student of Government and Science Technical College, Dapchi in Borno State, Leah Sharibu, who is still in Boko Haram captivity.

“We wanted to keep it at that when CAN issued a press statement without calling us. I concluded with the Plateau State CAN Chairman (Soja Bewarang) and we agreed that we are not going to be involved in the protest but pray. And if there is going to be protest, it should be well coordinated so that it will have the desired effect.

“It is not that I am against the CAN protest, it is just that it was poorly communicated and poorly coordinated. ECWA didn’t issue any directive for protest. ECWA members should listen to their leaders. That is us and not the (national) leadership of CAN.

During the recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Jos in March 2018, Bewarang had been condemned for his utterances during the Town Hall meeting where he endorsed the re-election of governor Simon Lalong in the 2019 general election.

According to him, tithes and offerings in churches had improved because the government had been very friendly Christianity.

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