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BRIEF REPORT OF THE RELIGIOUS CRISIS IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, BAUCHI AND ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA UNIVERSITY, BAUCHI
On the 7th of December 2004, it was alleged that a member of the NIFES group in Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi gave out a tract to a Muslim student of the Polytechnic which the Muslim student in the Polytechnic considered offensive.
In response to this, the Muslim leaders wrote a letter to the school Authority on the incident. At a meeting with the school authority the following day, (8th December 2004), the Muslim Student Society’s President gave the school Management up to 2:00 pm to respond or the Muslim student will demonstrate.
As a result, the Management suspended the two Christian students involved indefinitely. At about 12:00 noon, the Muslim Students converged in the school’s Mosque and were addressed by the Polytechnic Registrar, who is also the Patron of the Muslim Student Society. After the address the student proceeded from the mosque to the Rector’s office, from where they vandalized the Rector’s office and started destroying all Christian signposts on the campus.
Leaving the campus, they moved in large number with gallons of Petrol and burnt down the NIFES Secretariat alongside the equipment store inside – containing Musical Instruments, Public address Systems; Electronics like; Television Set, Video Cassette Player, VCD Player etc; the Fellowship’s Records of 25 years, the fellowship’s bus – a Toyota Hiace 18 Seater bus and other Fellowship properties.
The Christian Students see the arson as an intentional and pre-meditated act by the Muslim students to maltreat and intimidate their Christian counterpart. This is because earlier before the demonstration, the Leadership of NIFES group had met with the Leadership of the Muslim Student Society to resolve the issue but the Muslim students said the matter is beyond them, giving a hint that there are forces behind their action.
However, at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, there had been a threat by the Muslim Students to kill two other Christian students which they also alleged gave out an offensive Christian Publication. The School authority also responded by expelling the students. Not satisfied with the step taken by the school authority; the Muslims called for a meeting which lasted till around midnight; the agenda of their meeting could not be ascertained but events that followed on campus after their meeting leave much to be desired.
At around 1:00am in the early hours of the 9th December 2004, some unknown persons suspected to be Muslim Students set one of the places of worship of the Christian Community on fire which Christian Student promptly quenched before much damage could be done. However, around 4:00 am; some unknown person in mask suspected to be Muslims kidnapped Sunday, a 400 hundred level Architectural Student, the Leader of the ECWA student Ministry, one of the Christian group on campus from his room; his dead body was later to be found by the MTN mast close to the University Mosque.
At this juncture, it would be safe to state that the events leading to all these were encouraged by the School Authority. A member of the Senate was quoted to have said that the Christian Students who gave out the publication must be killed; this he said on the floor of the senate meeting. Also just some minutes to 1:00am the power supply to the University community was off and no effort was made to either put on the generating set or to restore it. It is believed that this was done to give cover to the perpetrators of this ungodly act.
It should also be of note that none of these alleged offensive publication emanated from NIFES or any Christian group from the Campus. Also, Muslim leaders in the Federal Polytechnic had been circulating provocative materials against the Christian faith without any response from the Christian Community. As it is now, Christian students are under great fear and are intimidated by these happenings.
Our response at this point is to call the attention of both Federal and State Governments to the reality of the dangers posed on the polity where the individuals or group of individuals under the pretence of religious provocation take laws into their hands to destroy lives and properties.
It is our resolve to remain peaceful citizens of the country while expecting the government to thoroughly investigate and come up with the identity of those responsible for the murder as well as the arsonist who destroyed NIFES properties and bring them to justice. In view of all the trauma, the entire Christian students have been subjected, we appeal to the respective school authorities to reconsider both the expulsion and indefinite suspension of the Christian Students on both campuses and recall them. Steps should also be taken to assure the Christian students’ safety on campus.
Finally, the situation where school authorities can no longer check the excesses of the Muslim students or their association even when the academic programmes and by implication future of fellow students is sacrificed to appease them is very worrisome. We hope the appropriate authorities will look into this fresh challenge to the stability and the Unity of Nigeria.
Mike Adegbile
National Director
22 J. D. Gomwalk Blvd. (GRA)
P. O. Box 1704, Jos
Plateau State 930001
Nigeria
___________________ Awo's political idea was based on the assumption that any town beyond Owo was Igbo or Hausa. Awo was not socialised; he was not a good mixer because he did not have the opportunity, which the secondary school offered. ~TOS Benson, Baba Oba of Lagos Posts: 2644 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Apr 2001
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