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September 28, 2007
Tudun Wada Dankadai, Nigerian -
THE MASSACRE
This is the scene of the current vandalism where looting and burning of Churches and Christian properties received her own share of what happened at Kano metropolis, including other states where religious prejudice was emitted on Christians.
Tudun Wada is a small sprouting town of less than one million people. It situates at about one hundred and ten kilometers from Kano city
Muslim religion has the majority of followers. Next are Christians who are mainly from the southern states of the Federation of Nigeria, and some scanty believers within the environs. The indigenous Christians are in the minority.
They fear to become Christians due to threats; lost of properties, denial of farmland and the certificate of occupancy to build their residence and the outright killing in the guise of some flimsy reasons.
As these enterprising Christian men and women venture into the areas originally occupied by Muslim zealots, they move with their faith intact in Christ and set up enterprises and build Churches to worship God. Muslims often feel bad and would devise means to get rid of the Christians.
In the case of the burning and the looting of September 28, no one could point his finger to identify any justifiable reason to set Tudun ablaze.
Some people blame the incident on a cartoon alleged to have been drawn by a Christian student. Muslim leaders say it is false. Nobody seems to know why Muslims killed the Christians
THE POLICE
The Police did not help the matter. No policeman was available in the streets to stop the vandals from evils. Where they tactically withdrawn? The victims ran to the police station. But there was no security for them. The police on duty were even chased away by the hoodlums. These dangerous criminals carried out their assignment and carried away Christian properties undisturbed. At the end of it, (31) thirty-one policemen and women lost their homes and properties. The defenders of the citizens were defenseless themselves! More than 500 houses and business premises were burnt down.
CHURCHES AND CHRISTIAN PROPERTIES .
At the first count, (9) nine Churches were completely burnt down. (3.000) three thousand Christians lost their homes, including properties and money and business premises. They are now sandwiched in a refugee camp in a local community at Kano city. Some express the desire to go back to Tudun Wada. But they have no single shelter there any longer. They are fed by kind-hearted individuals and some Church donations.
Their children roam around hopelessly. The women stare at their husbands tearfully, and vice versa. But the men are yet to help themselves. The indigenous Christians are more on pathetic side. They have no other home but Tudun Wada. They cluster in batches to discuss their fate. The orphans have little or no thorough knowledge of the impact of the incident, perhaps, till they grow up.
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