Election: Arsonists set Winner Chapel Church on fire

Two unknown arsonists were alleged to have set Winner Chapel Church, located in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on fire following the founder of the church, Bishop David Oyedepo’s decision to support President Goodluck Jonathan for his second term bid for the presidency.

The church was said to have been set ablaze on March 20, 2015, around 2:30pm. Stunned witnesses said nothing was saved from the inferno. The burning of the church came just weeks after Oyedepo’s endorsement of Jonathan.

Retired General Ishaku Ahmed Dikko, who is the president of Tarayyar Masihiyawan Nijeria, comprising Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Christians, and Mr. Sunny Oibe, Director of National IssuesChristian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in a statement both signed and dated, March 26, condemned the attack, stressing that it was a wakeup call for security agencies to get their act together in order to avoid violence in the elections.

The men opined that the attack was like a dress rehearsal for the great violence that might erupt during or after the election.

The statement insists that Christians in the North, particularly the Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Christians, who are indigenous in those states, were in serious jeopardy.

It further states: “On March 20, 2015, around 2:30 pm, two 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. The building burnt to the ground.”

Dikko and Oibe noted that the attack shocked the Christian Community, since there was no rancor between Christians and Muslims in the town. According to the writers, the incidence was worrisome because passersby made no effort to assist in putting out the fire.

“In fact, it was a Fulani herdsman that saw the fire and reported to the police. Only one policeman and a Christian volunteered, ran to the scene and attempted to put out the fire. But of course they could not achieve anything,” they said. “If this can happen in less 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.”