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| Rev. (Dr.) Israel Adelani Akanji |
EBENEZER ADUROKIYA of Nigerian Tribune brings excerpts of the interview with the President, Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), Reverend (Dr) Israel Adelani Akanji, who was the guest speaker and spiritual father, at the recently held 2021 Annual Thanksgiving/Church Dedication Service of the First Baptist Church, GRA, Warri, Delta State.
In your sermon, you hinted at the trauma parents and members of the Nigerian Baptist Convention went through during the kidnap of the 121 boys from one of the church’s schools in Kaduna some months ago. Can you recount the experience?
It was a harrowing experience when the Baptist school students were kidnapped. I rushed down to Kaduna. The school compound was littered with the shoes of the children because they were told to remove their shoes and were taken out of the school compound in their house-wear. That was how they were taken away. It was a sorry sight. We meet parents of the abducted children wailing and weeping and rolling on the ground. It was such a bad experience. It was very painful to us. We’re a people that have been contributing to nation-building through our schools since 1865. It’s so unfair on us. Imagine kidnapping 121 students! It was really sad.
You also spoke of the kidnap of yet 66 worshippers at one of your branches in Kaduna. You said the kidnappers were making some demand…?
Yes, on October 31, 2021, again, 66 worshippers were kidnapped in a community in Kaduna. The kidnappers told them that until the government brings them to a roundtable, they’ll not release our people. They’re not demanding ransom; they’re saying government must invite them to a roundtable else they’ll begin to kill our people if government does not oblige. But we’re not government. We don’t have power over government to force them to a roundtable. And our people are in their hands.
Very sadly on November 6, 2021, on the seventh day of being in the kidnappers’ custody, five of our people were shot; two died instantly and others are lying critically in the hospital. We don’t know if they’ll ever survive. So, they’ve started carrying out their threats.
How did you effect the release of the 117 kidnapped students from their abductors? We heard you saying the church spent hundreds of millions of naira?
Yes. We had to pay money. In the beginning, we didn’t want to pay ransom; (we felt) that it’s wrong to pay ransom. These people (students) used to be free; why would you go and carry them for ransom? We called on the government; we called on people, we didn’t get help and therefore, we succumbed and were arm-twisted to pay the ransom, not because we wanted it. It’s like having a gun pointed at your head and you being asked to release your wallet. You are to choose between your wallet and your life.
So, what’s the latest about the kidnapped students?
Of course you’re aware that out of 121 students, 117 have returned, remaining four students. The bandits have not released them because we have not met the conditions.
How much have you given to the bandits so far?
Nobody can know exactly what we paid because we were paying from various angles, the point you should know is that we paid money, and we have accepted that we paid money, but was it our choice to pay? No, but it was out of two wrongs and we chose the lesser evil; the lesser evil is for us to pay money so that we can release our children since it is money they are after and life is bigger than money, so we were ready to spend money, life is better than money and that God who provided the money for us can provide again.
But when life is taken like that, it is gone forever; so you see, we are praying that God should come to our rescue. For us to get them released, even parents were selling their houses and property to pay. So it was not just the church, but a collaboration of parents, the Church, well-wishers and even some people in Kaduna who were not part of the Church brought money. Yes, we paid money and I want the whole world to hear about it.
What is your word to government?
I want the government to rise up and carry out its responsibility; we cannot sleep again. Kaduna State has a lot of our security agencies. The Nigerian Defence Academy is there and some of our great military institutions are there. The military school is in Zaria, the pilots are trained there; why will bandits stroll into Kaduna and be treating citizens like a toy and nothing is happening?
Nigerian government should wake up and help us, I truly want to see President Buhari right now, I am told he is out of the country, and if he comes back, I should be one of the first persons he should see. I am already making arrangements to see him; our people have to be released. This is our country and we don’t have any other country; if anybody is claiming Nigeria, we are also claiming Nigeria. This is our home; we can’t leave our country. All of us voted for those in power, so we all deserve to be assisted. We are not even asking them to do anything extra for us, just let us be alive. We are ready to do our work and earn a living.
Why should they be kidnapping our people? This is wrong. And when you go to church and kidnap people worshipping, then you are showing that you are against that church; that you are against that faith, that you are against that religion and here in Nigeria, there are many peace-loving people, there are many good Muslims.
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