Clerics under the aegis of Northern Christian Religious Leaders Assembly (NOCRELA) have urged Christians and Muslims to reject killings, describing the violence as a war between brothers.
They made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the assembly’s Abuja chapter, with the theme, ‘For Unity, Purpose and Present Reality’.
National President of the association, Bishop John-Praise Daniel, said the biblical relationship between Isaac and Ishmael illustrated the bonds between Christians and Muslims.
He warned that continued bloodshed amounted to a family war.
“The bloodletting must stop. It does not matter whether the victim is a Christian or a Muslim,” he said.
Daniel said NOCRELA would advocate an end to persistent killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and other parts of northern Nigeria.
He added that, as leader of the Pan-African Faith Leaders Initiative, he would pursue continental advocacy against killings.
He said the initiative, in collaboration with the African Union, would be launched on Dec. 3.
Daniel described NOCRELA as a platform for overcoming denominational differences and promoting unity of purpose among Christians.
He identified disunity as a major limitation facing the Church in northern Nigeria, stressing that Christians must unite to address persecution and end mass burials.
He urged the newly inaugurated leadership to develop a clear vision, strengthen cooperation and support less privileged people through spiritual and material assistance.
Daniel also challenged claims that Christians were minorities throughout northern Nigeria, saying such assertions were misleading without reliable statistics.
He noted that indigenous Christian communities existed in Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa states, including villages populated entirely by Christians.
Similarly, Archbishop Peter Ogunmuyiwa said unity would strengthen evangelism and enable Christians to pursue collective political interests.
Ogunmuyiwa, a former Coordinating Chaplain of the National Christian Centre, said unity would allow the Church to preach Christ rather than promote individual denominations.
He urged Christians to speak with one voice in elections and support candidates of their choice.
He said demonstrating unity in 2027 would make it easier for Christians to present a common front in 2031.
Ogunmuyiwa attributed the limited visibility of indigenous Christians in northern politics to denominational and ethnic divisions.
Earlier, NOCRELA’s Abuja Chairman, Bishop Moses Tabwaye, urged members to become peacemakers rather than warmongers.
Tabwaye, the Anglican Bishop of Gwagwalada, warned that pulpits must not become platforms for hatred or ethnic profiling.
He called for collaboration with Muslims, traditional leaders and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure peaceful elections in 2027.
The assembly’s Secretary-General, Rev. Simon Dolly, said NOCRELA favoured indigenous leadership to address local peculiarities and promote peaceful coexistence.
Dolly said indigenous leaders better understood how to foster peaceful relationships between Christian and Muslim communities.
He added that Christians and Muslims should recognise their shared place in Nigeria and work together toward a common future.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 15-member executive is chaired by Tabwaye, with Rev. Garba Ephraim Umar as vice-chairman and Pastor Omorinoye Ezekiel as secretary.
Other members include Rev. Gbono Moses, assistant secretary; Mrs Patricia Darah, treasurer; Mrs Elizabeth Walter, financial secretary; Bitrus Kozah, publicity secretary; and Jerry Musa, legal adviser. (NAN)
