CAN wants open trial of killers of pastor’s wife in Kano

Dogara, rights activist, groups condemn killing
The Northern States Branch of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday said the trial of the killers of Bridget Agbahime must not be done in a secret.

Speaking at a press conference, the spokesperson of the association, Revd. John Joseph Hayab, faulted the action of the police who claimed to have saved the husband of the late Madam Agbahime from the mob but could not rescue the woman or arrest the perpetrators almost immediately.
The CAN also wondered why people would just wake up and kill a fellow human being just because they are angry with such an individual.

It, however, appealed to Kano State government to make deliberate policies aiming at stopping this type of extremism, adding that “this type of issue is given the Kano State a bad name and image.”

The CAN officials further appealed to Christians to be law-abiding with government at all levels as well as offer persistent prayers for the unity and progress of the country.

In another development, Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the brutal murder of Mrs. Agbaheme in Kano State, saying the ugly incidence is a wake up call on all Nigerians to rise against act of lawlessness and impunity in the polity. .

He asserted that the perpetrators of the heinous crime must be fished out to face the full wrath of the law.A statement issued by his spokesman, Turaki Hassan, quoted him as saying that there must be justice for the victim, Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, who was allegedly killed by her fellow traders in a market in Kano State over allegation of blasphemy.

“We live in a society governed by clearly stated rules and laws. When such crimes of high magnitude, or any at all, are allowed to go unpunished for any reason, we risk descending into a state of lawlessness and anarchy where anyone can assume the role of judge, jury and executioner.

The rule of law must prevail. I urge all security agencies to ensure that they carry out a thorough investigation into the events that led to her untimely death and ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to face the full wrath of the law”, he stated.Calling for tolerance among Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences, the Speaker noted that the peace and sanctity of Nigeria is not negotiable and as such, everything must be done to protect them.Dogara condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed God to comfort them.

Meanwhile, a lagos-based rights activist and lawyer, Ebun Olu Adegboruwa, yesterday condemned what he called insane butchering of a pastor’s wife in Kano by persons identified as Islamic fundamentalists for no other offence than that she appealed to a male indigene of Kano not to do ablution in front of her shop.

Besides, the Igbo think-tank, Aka Ikenga, through its President- General and Lagos-based legal practitioner, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, yesterday condemned what they called the ghastly murder of Bridget, a peaceful trader whose only offence was an altercation with another person.Also, concerned Islamic groups have described the gruesome murder of late Bridget Agbahime, as unIslamic and criminally-inclined.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) in separate statements yesterday strongly condemned the act, saying it is preposterous, barbaric and unIslamic.

Director, MPAC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said Islam frowns at mob action and there are laid down procedures for apprehending anyone who breaks the law of the land.

He said even if the accusation of blasphemy was correct, Islam does not leave redress of such legitimate grievance to a murderous mob or frontier justice.

Akintola said the woman should have been taken to the police station instead of being brutally attacked, adding: “There is no jungle justice in Islam.”

He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government, religious leaders and traditional rulers all over the country to intensify enlightenment among the citizens, particularly in the area of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

According to him, MPAC’s condemnation of this heinous crime is a crucial stance, which reflects Islam’s core value of sanctity of all human lives as expressed in Quranic the verses.