Report made available to us has it that Kaduna state governor, Mr Nasir El Rufai had indefinitely banned Christianity in Kaduna state.
This was contained in a statement made by a religious association, known as the Coalition of Christians with Conscience (CCC).
The report claimed that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, has effectively banned Christmas, New Year, Easter, and other christian religious vigils.
In a statement signed on Monday, by its President and Secretary, Istifanus Daniel and Paul Musa, respectively, the Coalition said that the new Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Law, 2019, contained several areas that will directly affect the worship mode of Christians, in Kaduna State.
According to the group, some provisions of the law criminalises, ‘Any person who plays a religious cassette or uses a loud speaker for religious purposes, between the hours of 11pm and 4am.’
Quoting the statement : “This is very disturbing, as it means that Christians cannot hold night vigils, celebrate Christmas, Easter, and New Year eve, in the evenings, which fall typically within those hours. The provision is also divisive, as our Muslim brothers are allowed to say their prayers at 5am, after the ban for Christians.
“That this law seeks to ‘accredit Preachers’ and appoint regulators of faith, means that it is the State Government that will determine what is preached or not. Has the State purged itself of its own political woes, as to move into the sphere of faith?
“Surely, we are not in a theocracy, but a democracy. The State and faith must be well separated. It is surprising that politicians who use thugs and take over the streets with loudspeakers, do not have laws that will regulate them, yet think that worshippers are the people to be regulated.
“We the CCC, wish to draw the attention of the Kaduna State Government, of the violation of our faith which this law will bring. We urge the Governor to reconsider its position, and not pass this
into law.”
Recall, that the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, have also asked El-Rufai to rescind his administration’s decision to gazette the new law, as they alleged that the law has the potentials to incite religious
controversies in the State.
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