The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kwara State Chapter, has condemned the attacks on some of their worshippers and places of worship in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2018 during the crossover night services.
They were attacked at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Isegun, the Methodist Cathedral and the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral, all located within the Ibrahim Taiwo Road in Ilorin, the state capital.
The association’s condemnation in a statement signed by Prof. T.O. Opoola, the State CAN chairman, was made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin.
The association appealed to the Kwara State Government to prevent further attacks on churches and Christian worshippers in Kwara State, particularly in the Ilorin metropolis.
The association said that the incident happened at about 2: a.m. on Jan. 1, 2018 when some miscreants attacked the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Isegun, located at the Taiwo Isale Area of the metropolis.
“In fact most of the Christian worshippers returning back home were allegedly raped, while some of them were rescued.
“Also, some of the girls who had fallen victims ran to the Methodist Cathedral for safety.’’
The statement said that the fanatics destroyed the gate of the Methodist Cathedral and forcefully entered the premises, destroyed some Church buildings and vehicles.
The association said that at this point, the CAN chairman had to phone the state Commissioner of Police, that the CAC and Methodist Church were under attack.
The association also said that the miscreants moved from the CAC to the St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral premises, where they destroyed buildings, religious articles and vehicles.
The association listed some of the articles destroyed inside the Catholic Church to include two statues, and a Bajaj motorcycle that pushed out of the compound before setting it ablaze.
The association also alleged that the miscreants dispossessed some of the worshippers of their phones, bags and other valuables.
Also, Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi of the Catholic Diocese of Ilorin corroborated the development in another press statement he personally signed.
Atoyebi said, “At about 2.15a.m., we perceived an attack on the Methodist Cathedral Church, that is opposite St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral.
“This lasted for about 30minutes with stones thrown to break and damage other buildings at the Methodist Church.
The Bishop also said that Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed had been informed of these developments, while the security agencies have also been alerted.
NAN reports that the governor on Monday issued a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, AbdulWahab Oba , condemning the attacks and directed the relevant security agencies to investigate the matter .