Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has disclosed that the insecurity bedeviling the country affected the capacity of Christians to perform 2022 pilgrimage.
The Kaduna State CAN chairman, Rev. John Joseph Hayab made the disclosure during a courtesy visit by the executive secretary of the Kaduna State Pilgrim Welfare Agency, Mallam Yusuf Yakub Arrigarayyu at the CAN headquarters.
“The issue of going to pilgrimage, to us at CAN is not the priority, our priority is how people can be secured and live peacefully. Christians in Kaduna State paid huge sums of money to bandits and I can’t see a group of Christians that have paid bandits millions of Naira to again sponsor themselves to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. It is not about going to Jerusalem but it is about the restoration of peace in the state.
“The insecurity in the state affected the possibility of many Christians performing pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as a majority already paid their life savings to bandits and cannot afford the trip,” he said.
CAN also alleged that Christians were mostly at the receiving end of banditry and churches paid huge sums as ransom.
“Today, people think it is well in Kaduna but we can’t just stop talking about the kidnapping. You know very well that every day, things are happening. What we want now is how we can work together to restore peace in Kaduna and stop the pretence and face the reality of what is happening around us.
“Christians no longer go on pilgrimage because, they are at the receiving end of the banditry. In 2019 when this evil of banditry and kidnapping started, within a short time over 500 Christians were kidnapped and over N300 million was paid as ransom,” he said.
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