The Katsina state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has distanced itself from a suit challenging alleged prohibition of Christian
fellowship on the campuses of Federal University, Dutsen-ma and the state owned Yar’adua University.
The Christian body was reported to have file the suit at a high court in Katsina, through its counsel, Ibrahim Isah, supported by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF International), a US based religious freedom organisation. ADF International, in a statement on its website: https://adfinternational.org/news/katsina-universities said, “the Christian Association of Nigeria, Katsina Branch, brought the lawsuits on behalf of the students…”
The statement dated March 18, 2024, by Sean Nelson, IDF International lead counsel, reads:
“Challenges have been filed against two separate universities in Katsina State, Nigeria, for violating the right to religious freedom by ‘indefinitely prohibiting’, Christian groups from holding fellowship meetings and worship on campus.
“In 2017 and 2022, the two public universities, one state and one federal, placed bans on the use of university facilities for Christian religious activities—including worship and fellowship—and have since refused to lift the bans.
“ One of the universities enforced the ban by locking all worship and fellowship centers on university grounds, preventing Christian students and groups from accessing the facilities, and banning them from meeting for worship and fellowship elsewhere on campus.
“Meanwhile, Muslim student groups at both universities have been permitted to hold worship and fellowship meetings in university-constructed worship and meeting spaces.
“Both universities have relatively high percentages of Christian students and faculty despite Katsina being a Muslim-majority state.
“One Christian university student in Katsina said, ‘We only want to be able to freely gather and worship as Christians on equal terms with other religious faiths.
“It is wrong that our universities are preventing us from exercising our most basic, fundamental rights.’
“No person should be discriminated against for their faith, and the actions of these state and federal universities are plainly unjust,”…
Findings by AmazingTimes revealed that the Federal University, Dutse-Ma, had in 2022 refuted the allegations that Christian fellowship was prohibited in the campus.
https://punchng.com/katsina-varsity-denies-restriction-on-christian-students-worship-hours/
However, addressing a press conference on Thursday in Katsina, the state CAN secretary, Dr. Musa Daniel, said claims that Christians were being prevented by the authorities of the two universities were not true.
He also condemned the activities of Ibrahim Isah, the lawyer who filed the suit, accusing him of parading himself as counsel to CAN in Katsina state.
Daniel who is also a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, said CAN Katsina State Chapter, deemed it necessary to address the media on the issue, “because of the activities of one Barr. Ibrahim Isah, who has been parading himself as counsel to CAN, Katsina State chapter.”
According to Daniel, “The said Barr. Ibrahim Isah instituted cases at the Federal High Court of Justice, Katsina against the Federal University of Dutsin-ma and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina on the ground of religious intolerance using the name of CAN, Katsina State Chapter as applicant without consultations with any CAN, Katsina State Chapter official or the association as a group.
“Efforts of the officials of CAN to make Barr. Isah retraced his steps from these cases for lack of merit proved abortive.
“CAN is investigations revealed that Christian fellowship activities are running smoothly on both campuses contrary to the false accusations levelled against the authorities of the institutions by Barr. Ibrahim Isah.”
The CAN secretary alleged that, “It has been recently discovered through a certain social media post that Barr. Ibrahim Isah enjoys the backing of a foreign organization that goes by the named Alliance for Defending Freedom International (ADF International)”
He said, Katsina state CAN held an executive meeting on Wednesday, March, 20, 2024 at its secretariat in Katsina and deliberated on the issue and “resolved to make the following unequivocal statements:
“ Barr. Ibrahim Isah does not in any way represent CAN, Katsina State Chapter, in any legal matter. We have our legal adviser in person of Barr. Samaila Audu
“CAN, Katsina State Chapter did not at any point in time engage the services of Barr. Ibrahim Isah or any person or group associated with him to institute any legal process against the authorities of Federal University of Dutsin-ma and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina as individuals or as institutions
“CAN, Katsina State Chapter did not receive any complaint, verbal, or written from the Christian communities in both institutions
“CAN, Katsina State Chapter have records of peaceful coexistence and merit based leadership in the two schools
“On this note, we dissociate ourselves from these legal actions….”
Efforts to reach Isah for his reaction was unsuccessful as he did not respond to telephone calls and a text message sent to him.
In some northern states, Christians are discriminated and marginalized on the basis of their faith.
