justicejay:
AN 18-year old suspect, Abba Usman, who
allegedly participated in the recent attack
by some Muslim youths on St. Philips
Catholic Church, Suleja, Niger State, has
ruled out religious extremism for his
gang’s action.
Rather, the suspect, who said he hailed
from Manumfachi in Katsina State, stated
that some female members of the church
should be blamed for playing musical
instruments so loud, dancing and making
noise while a Juma’at prayer was going on
at the mosque opposite the church on
Friday, July 15.
He stated this last Thursday when he was
paraded by Niger State Police Command in
Minna.
The suspect with no fixed address, who
also claimed to be a scavenger of scraps
on refuse dumps at Suleja and its
environs, added that shortly after the
Juma’at prayers on the fateful day, he and
other youths went to the church premises
to attack the church over what he
described as the effrontery of the
congregation to disturb the peace of the
mosque while prayers were going on.
“We went to the church to teach them a
bitter lesson so that they will never disturb
the peace of the mosque again, especially
on a Friday when we are having a prayer.
They have the whole of Sunday to
themselves and we have never disturbed
them from doing their own programmes,”
he said.
The suspect told Crime Reports that
female members of the church fled in
different directions on sighting the youths
while the security guard who refused to
leave his duty post was severely beaten.
“We all entered the church and vandalised
some of their property, while we took
some of their musical instruments and
other valuables. I went for two of the
microphones with the aim of selling them,
but I was not lucky as I was caught with
them,” the suspect stated.
While addressing journalists, the state
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala
Elkana, described the action of the the
youth that attacked the church as criminal,
disclosing that police received a distress
call that Friday at about 2:00p.m that some
youths were vandalising the property of
the church.
“On the receipt of that complaint, we sent
our Rapid Response Team to the scene but
before the police team got there, many of
the youth had fled. However, Abah Usman
was caught in action,” he said.
He pointed out that it was clear that the
intent of the hoodlums was not religious
but to steal, as the suspect was arrested
with two microphones stolen from the
church, while others went away with other
items.
He added that the state Police
Commissioner, Abubakar Marafa, had
ordered that the police operatives should
clear the hoodlums’ hideouts and
prosecute any suspect arrested in
connection with the case.

DannyJ19:
Hmmm.....anyway d world is ending on d 29th all dis nonsense go stop.