By Amos Tauna
A Team of Nigeria Association of Muslim Bush Hunters and other Islamic scholars joined their Christian counterparts of Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria to worship in a Sunday service as a way of fostering understanding and peaceful coexistence.
The team headed by Mallam Nuhu Jumare and other Islamic scholars from neighbouring states, said they were in the Church service to strengthen peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the area and the state as a whole.
The Southern part of Kaduna State has in recent years witnessed incessant killings between farmers and herdsmen resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of unimaginable properties worth millions of naira.
Mallam Jumare added that the visit was to support government efforts in trying to fight against all forms of insecurity challenges affecting peace and stability in the entire 19 northern states of Nigeria.
The Church members initially became panicked seeing new faces in the Church premises but later when the team leader explained their reasons of coming, why they selected the Church for the visit, the congregation started dancing and rejoicing with the visitors.
Mallam Jumare said, “I came here with some of the hunters union leaders from all the 23 local government of the Kaduna State and some Imams in order to strengthen understanding, peace building and the promotion of religious tolerance among the people.
”We believe that we will begin to understand and appreciate each others as a people that do without others. We are appealing that steps should be taken for better understanding and peaceful coexistence.”
Responding on half off the Church, Pastor Yohanna Buru, the General Overseer of Christ Evangelical Intecessary Fellowship Ministry, Kaduna, said, “This is yet another good Sunday for us that we are together with our Muslim brothers for the Sunday service, just like how it happen last Two weeks ago,when our Fulani Muslim brothers from the Southern part of Kaduna came to join us in worship.
Pastor Yohanna, said, “Your coming to the Church to understand how Christians worship and what Christianity is all about will help both the two religious practioners understand the importance of tolerating one another in a peaceful atmosphere.”
Pastor Buru urged the hunters and Islamic scholars to help in spreading the message of peace to all mankind, not just to Muslims and Christians but to humanity. ”Please tells farmers and fulani herdsmen to live in peace. Man need to live in peace with his fellow human being for a better and peaceful soviety.”
