A Kaduna pastor identified as Reverend Jonah Gangers has been accused of abducting and converting a Muslim girl whose name was given as Sadiya Idris to Christianity.
Nigerian
Islamic human rights organization, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) who raised the
alarm called for a speedy trial and arrest and prosecution of the Pastor and
his accomplices.
The statement
read;
“Sadiya Idris
of Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna, was kidnapped in 2013 at the age of eleven by Reverend
Jonah Gangers who resides in Barakallahu, Kaduna, and has his church there. The
reverend was allegedly aided by a dubious character called Peter. Sadiya was
kept against her wish in Rev. Gangers’ house until the suspects felt it was
safe enough to move her.
“Meanwhile
Sadiya’s parents, Mallam Idris and Mallama Rukayya searched everywhere in vain
for their missing daughter. The family lodged the case at the Gidan Gayu Police
Divisional Headquarters at Tudun Wada, Kaduna.
“Rev. Gangers
and his accomplices took Sadiya to Plateau State, forcefully and illegally
converted her and finally registered her as Christiana Gangers Joseph in a
missionary school in the state. The girl was kept in captivity for seven years
(2013 – 2020) both in school and also in the reverend’s house in Kaduna during
the holidays as she was not allowed to step out alone.
“Sadiya Idris
(Christiana Gangers) eventually escaped in 2020 on a day she was sent to the
market alone. She remembered her original background and approached Muslims in
a mosque in Jos who took her to Kaduna where she guided them to her father’s
house. Although Rev. Gangers was arrested, he was granted bail and he is freely
roaming the streets of Kaduna.
“The case was
adjourned by the Magistrate Court I on the first hearing to 18th September,
2020, Again it was adjourned to 16th October, 2020. But the judge ruled on 16th
October that the Magistrate Court had no jurisdiction on the matter. He
therefore referred it to the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice for advice. We
expected the matter to go to the High Court at that juncture but to our
surprise it was referred back to the Magistrate Court where a new date of 23rd
November, 2020 has just been given.
“MURIC
strongly decries this ding-dong affair. Procrastination is the thief of time
and justice delayed is justice denied. Both Sadiya’s father and mother went
through a long period of trauma. The pain of losing his daughter killed Mallam
Idris and the mother, now widowed, is still suffering from the pangs of the
horrible seven-year experience.
“Rev. Gangers
is digging in. He is abusing the terms of the bail granted to him. We strongly
suspect that he is attempting to subvert the course of justice. We also see a
fundamental flaw in the handling of this case because no other person was
accosted apart from Rev. Gangers.
“We assert
that the suspect could not have acted alone. He has accomplices and the longer
he remains free the deeper he would dig his bunker. We believe that right now
records are being tampered with and pieces of evidence are being obliterated.
There may be no more trace of the girl’s attendance in the missionary school in
Plateau State by the time the case goes into full swing in the High Court.
“We therefore
demand that Rev. Gangers should be re-arrested in order to get details of his
accomplices from him. Thereafter, those implicated should be arrested and
prosecuted along with the main suspect. Gangers’ claim that Sadiya was lost and
he found her is another cock and bull story. Why didn’t he report the case at a
police station or an orphanage?
“A dangerous
game is playing out in Northern Nigeria. Muslim children are being targeted by
Christian groups who kidnap them and take them to distant lands where they are
sold to Christian families and forcefully converted.
“It will be
recalled that nine Muslim children from Kano were rescued by the police on 11th
October, 2019 after they had been kidnapped and forcefully converted to
Christianity in Onitsha, Anambra State. There have been other similar cases of
kidnapping for Christ. It is shameful that religious institutions are getting
involved in criminal and inhuman activities like kidnapping. People like Rev.
Gangers must be taught a lesson in order to make the streets safe for children.
“We call on
the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice to expedite action on the Sadiya Idris
case. All eyes are on the ministry and Nigerian Muslims have already showed
keen interest in this particular case. MURIC will not rest until Sadiya Idris,
her mother and her deceased father who died without setting his eyes on his
beloved daughter, get justice.”
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