Retired army general and former president of Tarayyar Masihiyawan Nijeriya (TAMANI), a body of Christians from the core North of Nigeria, Ishaku Ahmed Dikko, has raised the alarm over persistent occurrences of threat to his life and those of his family members.
In a letter to the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of TAMANI, Dikko said the threats have been primarily because of the sensitivity of the Christian association in the core North and the religious, political and ethnic dangers inherent in being members.
He said that as TAMANI President, he and his family became exposed to more challenges and dangers of horror and death, necessitating their movement from town to town and state to state when the situation got very bad, for fear of the unknown.
Maj. Gen. Dikko (Rtd) described an instance of near abduction few years back involving his family, but which he chose not to publicise. “My family was very nearly abducted from our former house at No. 7, 61 Road, B Close, Gwarinpa 2 Housing Estate, Abuja.
“At about 7.00pm, some hoodlums came in two black jeeps and tried to enter the house in a commando style. Fortunately, the gate was well secured, so they could not gain entrance. A neighbor saw the situation and immediately alerted some guards at a nearby house,” he said.
Though the bandits later ran away, according to Dikko, the episode made him decide to sell the house and left with his family for safety.
While reminding the BoT chairman of the many threats to the lives of his wife and children, he also recalled a 2015 incident during which his family’s farm/holiday house was set on fire while the children were around for holidays. He said it took the grace of God for them to escape unhurt, even as the arsonists went ahead to set the entire farm on fire.
The dangers we faced were very eminent simply because we stand in our faith, truth and justice for the Huasa, Fulani, Kanuri Christians, who are considered a minority. My personal position remains unchanged, to give our people their rights in their communities and the country at large,” he affirmed.
Dikko, however, appealed to the BoT, the executive and members to give him time off the leadership of the Association, considering that his wife and children are at the moment in danger of the unknown.
He pledged to continue helping the Association in any capacity, stressing that nothing shall separate him from the love of Christ.
The association TAMANI is a gospel mission-oriented association, which encourages and empowers Christian youths and organisations in northern Nigeria. It is believed that the idea of the initiative is not well received by the powers-that-be in the country, mainly the north.
Sometime in 2014, when the Boko Haram terrorism became intense within the northern states and some southern states, it is on record that TAMANI, with the leadership of Gen. Dikko (Rtd.) intensified its evangelism, while also educating the youth to shun violence.
