Rescued Kano children: Don’t attack Christians, Muslim clerics urge faithful

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The National Council of Sunnah Clerics, also known as Majlis Atta’awun has called on Muslims in Kano State to exercise restraint and not take laws in their hands following the recovery of the nine kidnapped Kano-born children.
Recall that the nine kids were rescued by Kano Police from the hand of a gang of six kidnappers who allegedly abducted the victims, sold them off and reportedly converted them to Christianity in Onitsha, Anambra State.
However, addressing a press conference in Kano on Wednesday, Chairman of the Council, Sheikh Abba Koki said that not all Christians are involved in the act, as many adherents of Christianity are decent and peace-loving.
He, however, described the kidnapping of the nine Kano-born children as extension of “Nigeria for Christ” slogan, saying “it is a big shame that some Christians fanatics would live among Muslims only for the purpose of abducting their children, converting them to Christianity and sell them off into slavery.”
According to him, the Igbo community should have openly declared hostilities so that Muslims in the state would be alerted of the fact that they are living in the midst of foes.
He noted that the act committed by the suspects had violated global and national laws on child act and human trafficking, calling on authorities to ensure that the culprits are prosecuted.
Mr Koki warned that ensuring justice to the victims by prosecuting the culprits is the only way to maintain sanity and peace in Kano State.
“Why do they hate us so much? We see this as an extension of the “ Nigeria for Christ “ slogan. An open declaration of hostilities would have been better because it would have alerted us to the fact that we ate living in the midst of foes.
“Based on the legal frameworks, we therefore as the authorities to prosecute the culprits. Doing this is the only way to maintain sanity and peace in Kano,” he said
While commending the Police for their gallantry in rescuing the victims, the association then called on parents to be security conscious on their children.