Video from Thursday 7th September 23. This is the Parish House of Fadan Kamantan in Zonkwa, Kafanchan after botched kidnapping raid led to murder.
Strikes New Note after Gunmen Burned Catholic Parish House, Killing Seminarian
By Luka Binniyat
The Governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Uba Sani, in a remarkable departure from the example of his predecessor, Nasir el-Rufai, has condemned the Sept. 7 attack on a Catholic Church in Southern Kaduna and called for the immediate arrest of the murderers.
Former Governor el-Rufai was infamous for incendiary comments against the people of Southern Kaduna and has been accused of inciting ethnic cleansing in the area.
Gunmen stormed St. Rachael’s Catholic Parish, Kamantan, Zangon Kataf County Thursday and set the parish ablaze, killing 31-year-old seminarian, Danladi Namaan. It was yet another grim development to visit the Catholic Church in Kaduna state, central Nigeria, notorious for the kidnaping and killings of Catholic priests.
Gov. Sani however, in a statement issued Sept. 8 and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mohammed Lawal Shehu, announced: “Kaduna State Governor, His Excellency Senator Uba Sani, on Friday 8th September 2023, condemned in the strongest possible terms the recent attack on the Fadan Kamatan Parish (sic) – Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, located in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Rare Expression of Empathy
Expressing outrage at the killings, the Governor vowed to track down the perpetrators of the heinous crime and ensure that they face the full wrath of the law.
“The attack, he said, was carried out with the sole intention of igniting ethnic and religious tensions in Kaduna State and sabotaging government’s efforts towards rebuilding trust in our communities.
“I am deeply saddened by the attack on Fadan Kamantan Parish, Zangon Kataf. This act of violence against innocent worshipers is not only an attack on the Catholic community, but an attempt to set our people against each other. We will not tolerate such acts of brutality and will go to any length within the law to bring the attackers to book,” the Governor wrote.
“While urging the security agencies to swiftly investigate the incident and ensure that the culprits are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law, Governor Sani expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and assured them of the state government’s support during this difficult time,” according to the statement.
The Federal Government police has been given a marching order to find and arrest the killers, according to Kaduna state Police Spokesman, Mansir Hassan.
“Kaduna State Police Commissioner has ordered the immediate mass deployment of police personal to Fadan Kamantan to comb out the criminals,” he said.
“They are currently going after them, and we are going to get them and bring them to justice,” he told TruthNigeria.
“The CP [Commissioner of Police] is also forming a multi-faceted committee to look into the best ways to tackle insecurity in the state,” he said.
Botched Kidnapping Attempt
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in a Press Statement Friday, signed by its Kaduna State Chapter Chairman, Rev. Joseph Hayab, concluded the murder resulted from a failed kidnapping for ransom.
Kaduna State Police Command told TruthNigeria that it had ordered massive deployment of policemen into the area to comb out the invaders and had set up a committee to find ways of improving security in the area.
Fadan Kamantan is a small, elongated Christian settlement by the Kachia – Zonkwa expressway in Southern Kaduna, about 72 miles South of Kaduna metropolis.
Southern Kaduna occupies about 10,038 sq. miles in the heart of the savannah of Nigeria and has an estimated population of 4.5 million people of several ethnic groups, who are overwhelmingly Christians.
Fadan Kamantan is among a handful of settlements that have been spared from attacks by radicalized terrorists in Southern Kaduna since 2015. Muslim Fulani herdsmen working with hired mercenaries have laid siege to the area, killing hundreds of natives and displacing hundreds of communities since 2015, according to the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, an advocacy group.
“It was around 8 pm on Thursday, and people were moving about or having dinner in their homes, and it was like every day in our town,” said Emmanuel Mato, 46, a resident of the town told TruthNigeria.
“We heard very loud gunshots coming from the direction of the Catholic church, but it was hard to believe that the church was under attack,” he said.
According to him, a military check point on the express road operates not far from the church.
“We know that if invaders were trying to come from that direction, then they will have to face the soldiers first,” Mato said.
Mato, a former Seminarian himself, said that he and others rushed to the site where a fire had started near the parish.
“When we reached the church, the parish house was under severe inferno,” he said.
“It was not possible to put out that kind of fire with mere containers of water. But our worry was the two priests and the young Seminarian living there,” he added.
The parish priest, Rev. Father Emmanuel Okolo and his assistant, Rev. Father Noah Monday escaped the assault of the invaders.
“We were told that the attackers had come for a kidnapping mission, but the military engaged them. Out of frustration they set the property on fire and ran away,” he said.
“After the fire died down, it was discovered that Seminarian, Bro. Danlami Namaan.
Namaan was dead from suffocation of the smoke,” he said.
According to CAN: “Armed men invaded a Catholic Church Parish Headquarters located at Fadan Kamantan community and the criminals targeted the Parish Priest’s residence. Luckily the Parish Priest, Very, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okolo who also doubles as the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, and his assistant were able to escape out of the house before the criminals set the entire Rectory ablaze burning to death a Seminarian, Bro. Namaan Danladi, who is just about completing his training into the Catholic Priesthood,” reads part of the statement of CAN.
“What is disheartening about this particular attack is the fact that the place of attack is just by the Kaduna – Kafanchan Major highway with a Military check point not far from the Parish,” according to the statement signed by Rev. Joseph Hayab.
In Nigeria, Kaduna State is the most dangerous place to be a Catholic priest in 2023, according to thewhistler.ng.
“Kaduna State has been adjudged by security experts as a vulnerable place for catholic priests considering the number of abducted clerics between July 2022 and June 2023, in the state. Breakdown of the data showed that at least five Catholic priests were abducted in Kaduna and three in Benue, Edo, and Anambra States. Two were further abducted in Imo, Delta, and one each from Enugu, Ekiti, and Taraba, according to The Whistler.
“In the past, such abductions were mostly carried out on the roads. However, kidnappers have become bolder in going after priests during services.
“Kaduna was the most dangerous state to be a Catholic priest in Nigeria this year,” according to the newspaper report which cited a study by SB Morgen, a risk assessment-organization titled: “The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry 2023 Update, the whistler.ng explained.
Luka Binniyat is a former bureau chief for Vanguard News in Kaduna and writes on politics and security issues for TruthNigeria.com.
