Following the Palm Sunday attack on Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North, Plateau State—which left over 20 people dead and many injured—CAN’s northern chairman, Joseph Hayab, delivered a message that no longer pleads for protection. It demands resistance.
“These killers are not spirits. These killers are human beings,” Hayab told Saturday PUNCH. “A time will come when you see that the person who is chasing you, you are chasing him back.”
His words carry the weight of十五年 of bloodshed. “Since 2009 till today, they have been tormenting us every time it is Easter and Christmas. They will deny us the joy of celebrating.”
Hayab’s message to church leaders was blunt: “Enough is enough of this rubbish.”
When asked if CAN would advise members to carry arms, he refused to disclose full strategies. “If we start telling everything we know, we will just help the enemy of the church to triumph.”
But retired military officer Brigadier General John Sura went further. He advocated lawful self-defence using licensed Dane guns or sharp objects. “The last kick of a horse does not stop it from dying, but you should be able to inflict injury on the person before he kills you. Not to be killed like an animal.”
Not everyone agrees. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Abdulwahab Ademola warned against arming civilians, calling instead for early warning systems and community training.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has placed troops on nationwide alert for Easter. The Inspector General of Police deployed a Deputy Inspector-General to Jos.
But for Hayab, the psychological war matters most. “Do you know why they are attacking places of worship? It is so that we will stop going to places of worship. If we give in, they have succeeded.”
This Easter, northern Christians are being told to show up anyway. And to be ready.