Reports have emerged on how Christian Association of Nigeria brokered peace between Apostle Johnson Suleiman and the Department of State Service. The
Reports have emerged on how Christian Association of Nigeria brokered peace between Apostle Johnson Suleiman and the Department of State Service. The chairman of CAN in the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Rev. Yakubu Pam, was the one who brokered peace between the body and the clergy after the National President of PFN, Rev. Felix Omobude, made known his inability to make it to Abuja.
It was gathered that the DSS treated Apostle Suleiman with maturity and a high sense of respect. They pleaded with the clergy man not to heat up the polity with his messages given his large followership across the country. They also reminded the cleric that given his Muslim parentage and large Christian followership, any statement from him was bound to exert enormous influence on the society and create problems for all if not well handled. The DSS was said to have told Suleiman:
“Your message can be exploited by mischief makers to cause serious problems for the country and its people given your mixed background and large followership and we want you to assist the Federal Government to find a lasting peace to the crisis in the land instead of doing anything that could further heat up the polity.
“Sir, we also want you to realise that there is hunger in the land and idle hands can easily cash in on any statement to cause mayhem in the country, thereby causing a clog in the wheel of development and progress in the country.”
Rev. Yakubu Pam
A source noted that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had earlier called the Northern CAN boss intimating him of their intention to arrest the preacher over a recent controversial statement credited to him. Rev. Pam, the source revealed, struck a bargain with the IG to give the church sometime to intervene and handle the matter in such a way to avoid heating up an already charged atmosphere with particular reference to the upheavals in Southern Kaduna but the DSS surprised both men when a day after the said discussion, it moved to arrest the cleric in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
“The negotiation, we gathered, was supposed to involve the Northern CAN chairman and the National President of PFN, Rev. Omobude, but the DSS’ attempt to arrest Apostle Suleman in Ado Ekiti which has let loose the avalanche of protests across the country put paid to that enterprise.
“So when the DSS decided to invite the clergyman, the Northern CAN boss continued his peace mission by leading Apostle Suleiman to the DSS headquarters where he briefed the DSS Director-General of the efforts he had earlier made to resolve the matter peacefully adding that the country was already plagued with a lot of challenges and thus, the issue has to be managed with tact.”
According to the source, the emphasis was on the unity of the country which is over and above the challenges confronting the nation. The DSS boss agreed with him and that was how the deal was brokered in so short a period.
Vanguard
