May 21, (THEWILL) – Barely one week after Deborah Samuel Yakubu was killed in Sokoto, over alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad, a Christian lady has reportedly escaped being killed in Katanga, Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
THEWILL gathered that Muslim youths mounted a search for the lady immediately after the Jummaat prayers, but could not find her.
It was alleged that on receiving information on the impending danger, the girl was whisked away to safety.
Enraged by not seeing her, the irate Muslim youths allegedly started destroying properties belonging to Christians in area.
A source disclosed that few buildings were set blaze and some Christians, including a pastor of ECWA church, were injured.
A leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, who confirmed the sad incident, said the Commissioner of Police and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Bala Mohammed of on Christian Religious Affairs, have been informed of the development.
He, however, called on the Christian community in the state to remain calm and not to allow the situation to degenarate.
The CAN leader said they had to protect themselves from the attackers, assuring that security operatives would do everything possible to protect lives and properties.
“We were at home Friday evening, when we heard shouts from Muslim youths in their hundreds wanting to attack the ECWA church, but Christian youths and others resisted and repelled them, but after they had already set the shops attached to the Church on fire.
“In the process, one of the pastors of ECWA Church was seriously wounded, as l am speaking to you, efforts are on to save his life as blood is rushing from the wounds inflicted on him”, a source narrated.
Another source said, it was one of the youths who recently got converted from Christianity to Islam that allegedly raised the alarm of the alleged blasphemy by the Christian lady and led other Muslim youths in search of her.
Bauchi State, created in 1976, is infamous for ethno religious crises that have claimed several lives.
In 1991 the National Sports Festival being hosted by the state was truncated, following violence in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area that spread to Bauchi, the state capital, leading to several deaths and destruction of properties.
However, the volatile state has enjoyed relative peace since 1999 and is currently regarded as the most peaceful in the North East sub region despite the onslaught of Boko Haram insurgency.
Recently, the relative peace enjoyed in the State snapped, following violent crisis in Gudum Hausawa area in the outskirt of Bauchi Metropolis, that led to the death of one person
As a result of the violence, which led to destruction of properties in the area, Governor Mohammed declared a dawn to dusk curfew in the area
All efforts to get confirmation of the situation in Warji officially from the State Police Command failed at the time of this report.
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