Posted by Gov. and CAN condemn murders, and a senator calls for military intervention.
Invading on Thursday night, bandits destroyed the parish house at St. Rachael’s Catholic Parish in Fadan Kamantan, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, Kaduna State. Na’aman Danladi, a seminarian, was killed by burns during the process. Southern Kaduna is home to Fadan Kamantan.
While other priests managed to flee during the tragedy, seminarian Danlami was discovered to have been trapped in the blaze. His remains were afterwards placed in the mortuary.
Mansur Alhassan, the Kaduna State Police Command’s acting police public relations officer, confirmed the attack to our correspondent and assured her that “we are on top of the situation.”
The attack on the church was denounced by Rev. John Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State, who also confirmed the occurrence to our correspondent over the phone. He said, “It is very sad that killings and this type of evil are still going on.”
In a statement, Hayab added that the bandits had specifically targeted the home of the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okolo, who serves as the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, as well as his assistant.
He claimed that the pair just fled the attack before the intruders set the entire rectory on fire, killing the seminarian who was just about to complete his preparation to become a Catholic priest.
The attack occurred on the Kaduna-Kafanchan highway, which has a military checkpoint close to the church, which, according to the CAN chairman, is more concerning.
He said, “The attack took place at around 8 o’clock, and the parish is right in the middle of Kamantan town. We began to worry even more as a result of this: where is the hope, and how much worse might things really get?
He lamented that despite the presence of security forces in the neighborhood, the crooks continued to operate unchecked.
He continued, “We cannot continue like this, no, it is unacceptable, and we all must wake up to our responsibilities.”
In the meantime, Sunday Katung, the senator for Kaduna South, has called for a one-month military operation in the state’s forests.
“I unequivocally condemn this horrific terrorist attack that claimed the life of our young seminarian,” Francis stated in a statement on Friday. We cannot tolerate another attack on our community that is so cowardly and insensitive.
He added, “I appeal to the security authorities to carry out a one-month intensive operation on the forest around Southern Kaduna to degrade the bandits and kidnappers. The revival of terrorism on the Kaduna-Kachia Road is a direct affront to the Federal Government and the security agencies. Nobody should be spared if they are discovered to be encouraging criminal activity.
Additionally, Governor Uba Sani denounced the attack and vowed to find the offenders and bring them fully within the jurisdiction of the law.
The governor was cited as stating, “I am deeply saddened by the attack on Fadan Kamatan Parish in Zangon Kataf,” in a statement by his chief press secretary, Mohammed Lawal Shehu. In addition to being an attack on the Catholic community, this act of violence against defenseless worshipers also aims to divide our people. Such cruelty will not be tolerated, and we will use all legal means at our disposal to hold the attackers accountable.
The governor expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and assured them of government support while urged the security services to look into the tragedy right once and make sure that those responsible are apprehended and forced to face the full force of the law.