Christians Flee Jos North
Allafrica.com, Raymond Gukas, 27 October 2011
A Pentecostal pastor , King James Dapar has raised the alarm that Christians residing in Jos North in Plateau State were deserting their homes for fear of being killed.
Dapar who is a pastor of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Chwalnyap (also known as Congo Russia) area of Jos metropolis called on security agents to quickly intervene to end the ugly trend .
. He disclosed this when The Middle Belt Dialogue (MBD), a non-governmental pressure group presented some relief materials (Clothing and cash) to the Church for distribution to members who had suffered losses from the persistent crisis in Jos.
The MBD delegation led by the Facilitator, Mr. Rima Shawulu lamented that the Chwalnyap community had been under constant attack by the Hausa Fulani aggressors at the slightest provocation.
The community is in the midst of the Hausas and according to the pastor, residents of the area have only one escape route in times of crisis.
He however expressed fears that this strategic route may soon be blocked as some of the Christians living along the route have since relocated and were planning to sell their houses to the Hausas.
According to him, once the houses are sold to the Hausas, there would be no escape route for Christians again anytime violence erupts and called on the state government and wealthy Christians to intervene by buying the houses rather than allowing those he called oppressors to buy them.
Dapar disclosed that the Plateau state government had earlier bought some of the houses that were destroyed by the Hausas with the intention of constructing a security outpost in the area, but up till now nothing has been done.
He lamented that as a result of the overwhelming forces of the Hausas on the community; people were relocating to safer zones and selling their houses to the Hausas.
He said "We are surrounded
by the Hausa people and they harass and intimidate us at will. At the slightest provocation, they will just start attacking us. But God has been helping us. Many people have relocated from Chwalnyap. Our people are relocating and selling their houses to the Hausa people.
"But our fear is that once the Hausa people buys the houses at the strategic route that is serving as escape route for us during crisis, we are finished" .
Dapar stressed that a security post in the area will checkmate the harassment of Christians in the area as well as ensure the security of lives and property in the area.
He added that residents of the area live in constant fear of attack in the midst of the Hausa settlers who have become a terror to them.
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The pastor thanked the MBD for the donations and for identifying with the church in its trying moment. While calling on the MBD to pray for the people of the area, he urged the group to help bring their plight to the attention of the authorities.
Responding, the Facilitator of the MBD, Mr. Shawulu said the group shares in the pains and travails of the community, hence the desire to assist with a token of gifts.
He said the group is made up of professionals from the Middle Belt with the
objective of contributing to the socio political wellbeing of the minority groups in the north.
Shawulu said the MBD will look into the challenges facing the community with a view of ensuring that they are addressed by the authorities.
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