Stop the church building nonsense! DSS interrogates Christian leaders over Boko Haram
Some members of Board of Trustees, the Christian Association of Nigeria have been quizzed by operatives of the Department of State Services for appearing in a video some Christians leaders are allegedly using to solicit funds for the rebuilding of churches destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East
Debris of a destroyed church by Boko Haram insurgents
Punch reports have it that four prominent members of the organisation’s BoT, who are also leaders of National Christian Elders Forum, were on Tuesday January 7 interrogated for four hours at the DSS headquarters in Abuja.
Among those that were interrogated by the DSS according to Punch were a former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro (retd.), representing TEKAN/ECWA bloc of CAN; a retired High Court Judge, Justice Kalajine Anigbogu, representing the Christian Council of Nigeria bloc; Mrs. Osaretin Demuren, representing the Organisation of African Instituted Churches and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo, representing the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.
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Sources further told Punch that a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dame Priscilla Kuye (SAN), representing the Catholic bloc; President of the National Christian Elders’ Forum, Solomon Asemota, its General Secretary, Bosun Emmanuel and many others would be invited for questioning by the DSS soon.
Others expected to be interrogated also include the President of CAN, Dr. Samson Supo Ayokunle and its General Secretary, Dr. Musa Asake.
One of the personalities quizzed by the DSS said they were told to explain why they appeared in the video which showed footages of the carnage and destruction unleashed on churches in the North-East by the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, alleging that it was an inciting video.
According to one of the leaders quizzed, the DSS asked them to give reasons they appeared in a video that showed recordings of the carnage and destruction unleashed on churches in the North-East by Boko Haram insurgents
He said:“We spent over four hours at the DSS headquarters on Tuesday evening and they were asking us the motive behind the video. The grouse of the DSS was that we appeared in the video soliciting for funds to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram. They specifically told us that the video which showed burnt churches was inciting.”
“They asked us why we produced a video like that having blood and demolished buildings. We are just members of the BoT of CAN Trust Fund. I suspect that they will cajole us to remove the video but that is not possible because we are for Christ,” the source stated.
According to the director of Legal and Public Affairs in CAN, Kwamkur Samuel, who confirmed the incident to Punch, he said: “I accompanied them to the DSS headquarters; CAN would be watching as the situation unfolds.”
He added: “When the Christian elders were invited, they wondered why all of them, particularly those who appeared in the video. They drew the attention of the CAN President who directed me to write a letter to the DSS to tell them that those they invited are members of the CAN Trust Fund Board of Trustees. But they didn’t reply the letter. If their invitation has anything to do with CAN, they should invite CAN leadership and that was why I went with them to the DSS. We are studying the situation.”
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However, CAN president noted that the main objective of the CAN Trust Fund was “to make CAN more effective to represent and protect the interests of Christians and all Christian institutions in Nigeria.”
He said: “The CAN Trust Fund is operating on a simple process of encouraging individual Christians in Nigeria to make a token monthly donation of N500 (it could be more or less) to CAN. The fund has been designed in such a manner that it would not affect the financial commitment of Christians to their denominations or local assemblies. A Board of Trustees made up of eminent and principled Nigerian Christians will manage the funds and ensure transparency and accountability.”
In the video below, Borno state government, some months back said it was ready to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the state.