The Christian Association of Nigeria has set aside May 22, 2022 for a nationwide protest over the gruesome murder to Miss Deborah Yakubu, a 200 level students of Shehu Shagari College of Education on Thursday.
Deborah Yakubu was stoned to death and burnt by fellow students for alleged blasphemy against prophet Mohammed.
CAN, in a statement by its General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, on Saturday, said that the protest will take place within church premises at 3pm to avoid further losses.
The notice of the planned strike was sent to a block leaders, zonal chairmen, state chairmen, local coordinators, denominational and church leaders.
CAN called on all Nigerians Christians to join the protest by using all the nation’s embassies all over the world for the peaceful protest.
He said that the protest would also be used to call to an end to the murders carried out in the name of fighting for God and to pray for the family and friends of the late Deborah, the country, godly political leaders in the next election.
The statement reads, “I have been directed by the CAN President, His Eminence, Rev. Dr Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle, to request all Church Leaders, through your various Churches to organise a peaceful protest in honour of one of our daughters, Deborah Yakubu, who was gruesomely murdered on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto in Sokoto State by some Islamic extremists.
“The protest will take place on May 22, 2022, in the afternoon by 3:00 pm in every Secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria nationwide and not on the streets in order to avoid further loss of lives.
“Those without CAN’s Secretariat may use any church with big premises. We are to hold placards with some succinct messages like, ‘WE DEMAND JUSTICE 4 DEBORAH’, ‘NO MORE KILLING IN GOD’S NAME’, ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’, ‘POLICE, STOP UNPROVOKED KILLINGS IN NIGERIA’, ‘CHRISTIANS ARE NOT SECOND CLASS CITIZENS’, ‘KILLERS OF DEBORAH MUST BE PROSECUTED’, ‘WE CONDEMN RELIGIOUS KILLINGS’, ‘WE SAY NO TO ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS’.
“We urge those who could afford it to make use of the traditional media and the social media and others can use only the social media to give it wide coverage in order to sensitise the whole world.
“We also call on Nigerian Christians in the diaspora to join us using our embassies all over the world.
“The occasion can also be used to pray for Deborah’s family and friends, peace for the country, victory for the Church and godly political leaders in the coming general election.”