By Chris Njoku, Owerri and Emma Elekwa, Onitsha
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We’ll hold Kumuyi, CAN responsible for any eventuality
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Disregard IPOB, Southeast is safe – Igbo group tells cleric
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL) yesterday dared the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and other separatist groups when the body urged the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi to ignore the warnings by IPOB to cancel his planned crusade in the zone based on security concerns.
Speaking, the leader of the association, Chief Goodluck Ibem, noted in a statement on Saturday that IPOB’s warning had a hidden meaning saying there had been other activities and programmes going on in the region without such warning from the separatist group.
The pro-Biafra group yesterday reiterated its warning to Kumuyi to shelve the plan, warning that it would hold the revered cleric and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) responsible for any eventuality should the crusade hold.
The group asked CAN to stop gambling with people’s lives.
IPOB was reacting to the position of CAN to the proposed crusade which it asked Kumuyi to call off over security concerns.
The group, in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful said it was worrisome that CAN was yet to meet expectations of the Christian community but busy playing politics and allowing killing of Christians across the country.
It maintained it would not fold its hands and watch people of the zone slaughtered at the crusade.
Worried about why IPOB is raising issues over the planned crusade by Kumuyi, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL) said: “In the Southeast, politicians, political parties are organising their campaigns, people are doing burial ceremonies to bury their love ones, white wedding and traditional weddings are going on and Emma Powerful did not tell them not to do their programmes and same person is warning the General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church not to go ahead with his crusade. Something is really fishy in his statement.
“We are really surprised how Emma Powerful became so concerned about Pastor Kumuyi’s security. Kumuyi is a man of God protected by the Most High God. It is not the business of anyone to worry about how the Almighty God protects his servants. For Emma Powerful to suddenly ask the man of God to call off his scheduled crusade lives much to be desired.
“Emma may not understand the import of his statement by asking Kumuyi not to come to the Southeast. Asking the highly revered man of God not to come to the Southeast will cause serious friction among peacefully co-existing Southeast and Southwest indigenes.”
They therefore warned IPOB and others not to issue any statement capable of causing problems in the country and urged Pastor Kumuyi to go ahead with his crusade.
“We call on Pastor William Kumuyi to disregard the statement by Emma Powerful and come to the South East to preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to our people.
*Southeast is very safe. Businessmen and women have been coming to do their businesses without any molestation whatsoever.
“We call on Emma Powerful to leave Christianity alone and concentrate on his agitation for Biafra.”
In what appears like a counter statement issued by Emma Powerful, IPOB said: ”The statement reads in part: “We want to be clear in our position to wit; we are not exaggerating over the security situations within the Eastern region of Nigeria.
“We maintain our sincere advice to Pastor William Kumuyi of Deeper Life Ministry on his planned crusade in Aba. This advice must be taken seriously and not ignored because if anything untoward happens to anyone in the said crusade we will hold him responsible.
“CAN must understand that they have not met the expectations of their members and the Christian community in Nigeria. CAN is busy playing politics and allowing Muslim fanatics to slaughter Christians everywhere in Nigeria.
“It is unbelievable that the Christian Association of Nigeria would not summon the courage to fight for their members when Muslims and its security men attack and murder their members.
“They should however understand that IPOB will not fold its hands and watch our people deliberately put in harm’s way to be slaughtered because of the crusade, when they know that politicians will employ their local thugs to slaughter people and tag it that IPOB was responsible for such attack.”