Francis Emmanuel, a 41-year-old man, was on Tuesday assaulted by some youths in Kakuri, a community in Kaduna state, for not observing the Ramadan fast.
Emmanuel, a carpenter, said the youth who were passing by, saw him eating at his work station, and approached him to find out why he was not partaking in the spiritual exercise.
He said they descended on him after he explained to them that he is not a Muslim, revealing that he did not know how he landed at St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, stillalso in Kakuri, where he has been responding to treatment.
“I went to buy wood that I would use to work, and on my way back, I decided to buy what I will eat,” he said.
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“As I was eating, about six boys came to me and asked me whether I am a Muslim or a Christian, but I did not answer them. They asked me why I was not fasting, and it was at that point that I told them that I am not a Muslim.
“Before I knew what was happening, one of them slapped me. As I stood up in order to escape, the rest surrounded me. They started kicking me, using knives and other dangerous objects to attack me.
“Nobody could come to my aid because of the weapons in their possession. At some point, I lost consciousness. I don’t even know who brought me to the hospital.”
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The incident happened less than a week after Bridget Agbahime, a 74-year-old trader, was murdered in Kano over alleged blasphemy.
Danladi Yerima, secretary-general of the northern zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), condemned the incident, wondering why such could happen in Kaduna which has been relatively peaceful in recent times.
He urged security agencies to arrest those behind the incident and charge them to court.
Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna state governor, has also expressed concerns over the development, asking the police to arrest the culprits.
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“This is of very serious concern to the state government, before Ramadan began, we warned everyone to observe the tenets of his or her religion, without forcing it on anyone or taking the law into their own hands,” he said when he visited the victim in the hospital.
“This is a case of which people have taken the law into their own hands and I have directed the commissioner of police to make sure that the boys that did this are arrested and prosecuted for what they have done.”
Samuel Aruwan, spokesman of the governor, also issued a statement on the incident.
“There is no compulsion in religion. It is a free country, and that means no imposition of faith or religious practices on anyone,” the statement read.
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“We sympathize with our fellow citizen, Francis Emmanuel. We have assured him that we will not allow anybody to violate his right, or that of any other citizen. The Kaduna State Government is resolute in its stand that all criminals, including those who try to hide under Christianity or Islam, will be tackled and prosecuted.”
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6 comments
If you are in a place where you are not wanted and your life is in continual danger simply vacate and return to your constituency. At the same time any Muslim in the Christian dominated South that does not join in observing Christian programs what should be done to that one if not the same treatment that Emmanuel received?
“…we will not allow anybody to violate his right to be violated.” This citizen’s right is violated already. More than that, a crime has been committed by those who attacked him for not following their religion. The appropriate thing is to bring them to justice. That is the only way to assure all Nigerians that we live in a free country where every citizen can safely exercise his or her right without fear of molestation. We already know that that there is no compulsion of any faith. What we need is action against violators of this tenet so as to reassure all law-abiding citizens. Beyond his spokesman’s words, we want the Kaduna State Governor to get the appropriate authorities to act. Otherwise, his soles man’s words are hollow and insincere.
Even if he was a Muslim.. no one ask any one to beat up anyone for not fasting.. fasting is between only you and Allah.. u can pretend to be fasting and hide inside your room and eat and no one will know. Those that beat him were bunch of idiot and criminals that deserve no mercy.. U that is speaking as if is the entire Muslims that beat him need to rethink. and the media is not helping matter.. wht is the point of reporting this.. let the local authority handle that. u just succeeded in creating more hatred btw religion .. as u can see the way some illiterate has already interpreted that.
What are you saying, the media is there to report what happen, those Muslim brothers have taking the laws into their hands the Muslim community must have to do something to show that what those boys did was wrong. And it is not right for you to call any one an illiterate, according to you IT IS THIS TYPE OF THINGS that always bring HATRED among us. WHAT IF IT WAS A MUSLIM THAT WAS BEATING UP LIKE THAT BY CHRISTIANS, what will you have said.
These sets of people have chewed more than they can eat. It appears xtians too will try to revenge even though we are not encouraged for that. We need to teach them some lessons. Enough of this senseless act!
Your comment..they are a bonch of criminals not islamic representatives,the onlything that stop’s crime is when sivier punishment awaits pepetratos!let our security agencies wake up from their slomb.