Ben Agande, Kaduna The umbrella body of Muslims in the country, Nigeria, Jamatul Nasir Islam (JNI) on Sunday accused the Christian Association of Nigeria inventing the ‘herdsmen’ to achieve a preplanned agenda.

JNI MEETING: From right: Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Jni, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III; Secretary-General, Jni, Dr. Khalid Abubakar and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai El-Kanemi, during the Jni Annual Central Council meeting, in Kaduna, yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

Addressing a press conference in Kaduna Sunday evening, the Secretary-General of JNI Sheikh Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu accused the CAN of unnecessarily over heating the polity “through provocative and blatant misinformation ”

“The ‘herdsmen’ debacle must be understood that this is a mischievously invented by CAN over time and its biased errand boys among media practitioners stereotype an ethnic group so as to achieve a pre-planned agenda.

“Why is the whole herdsmen issue heightened now in 2018? simply, CAN is unnecessarily overheating the polity because 2019 is around the corner. Our take is that CAN should better go and register as a political party and contest election if they want to test their popularity. “We nonetheless make bold to say that CAN is deliberately covering up by using the ‘herdsmen’ debacle as a franchise to perpetrate evil as witnessed in the Boko Haram tale”.

The JNI leader also accused Christian leaders of hate speeches, warning that they should not take the Nigerian Muslims patience foolishness. “In the same light, some Christian leaders promote hate speeches, such as if you see a Fulani man kill him by Pastor Suleiman and crush them, kill them by pastor Oyedepo.

The repercussion Of such speeches could be better imagined. “In addition, Bishop Kukah’s hate speech against Muslims in Nigeria is legendary, as hardly would opportunity avail itself for him to talk without smearing Islam and Muslims in Nigeria. “CAN and other Christian leaders such as Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Pastor Oyedepo, Suleiman and recently El Buba should not take Nigerian Muslims’ patience for foolishness, as their speeches are becoming really provocative and outlandish.

Therefore, CAN should desist from making provocative statements in the midst of serious issues bedeviling the nation. “Government should take the bull by the horn by prosecuting promoters of hate speeches in Nigeria, if not one day it will become a norm that cannot be challenged and one of the chief mongers of the hate speech is CAN as represented by Rev. Asake.

“To put the record straight, JNI condemns killings of innocent souls wherever they happen and whoever is involved. JNI also condemns the generalization of criminals as representatives of the whole, thus leading to unjust stereotyping and name calling.

We condemn all criminals, whoever they are and wherever they come from. A criminal should be treated as a criminal regardless of his/her ethnicity and/or religious affiliation”.