CAN youth wing berate DSS over Bishop Kukah invitation

The youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has berated the Department of State Services (DSS), over an alleged invitation it extended to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, following his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari in his Christmas message.

Bishop Kukah, in the message on December 26, 2021, had attributed the “boldness and temerity of terrorists and bandits operating with reckless abandon as a result of the silence and ineptitude of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.”

Bishop Kukah’s message, according to the CAN youths, had led to the invitation of Kukah by the secret police, and they vowed to mobilize and join the Catholic priest in appearing before the service whenever he was ready to honour the invitation.

In a statement issued on Monday by the President of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, titled ‘We will mobilise Christian youths across the country to answer DSS invitation of Bishop Kukah,’ the group called on the DSS to also invite popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, to explain his relationship with bandits.

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Part of the statement reads:

“The attention of YOWICAN has been drawn to the purported invitation extended to Bishop Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese.

“Bishop Kukah committed no offence, rather the government should channel her energy in the fight to liberate the country from terrorists and bandits.

“Recently, more than 200 people were killed in Zamfara State and villagers displaced. This is disheartening indeed. We will mobilise all Christian youth across the country to honour this invitation.

“The DSS has extended her invitation to us, not Bishop Kukah, and we will honour it. The DSS should first invite Ahmad Gumi for questioning for interfacing with bandits.

“Gumi has consistently advised people in the terrorised North-West of Nigeria on how they can live in peace with the armed bandits occupying their forests and develop a mutual relationship with the bandits without being harmed, and the DSS has not invited him to explain his position with the bandits.

“Gumi has been fraternising with the bandits and he has been working freely without any invitation from the DSS or police. Let them also extend their invitation to Gumi if they are not partisan or playing out a script written from above.”