CAN condemns conversion of Chibok girls

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday said the forceful conversion of Christians school girl abducted from Chibok to Islam was a clear indication that the Boko Haram insurgency group was waging a war against Christianity.

The Boko Haram group  claimed in their new video released on Monday that the girls had been converted to Islam.
Reacting to the development, National secretary of CAN, Rev Musa Asake  said the said conversion was unacceptable and called on the government and the international community to act fast to save the situation.

He said that the reported forceful conversion of the girls was a confirmation that the Boko Haram sect has a religious agenda, adding that it was now clear that they are waging a war against Christians and Christianity iin the country.
The Christian umbrella body reject the demand by Boko Haram for the release of their detained members as a condition for freeing the girls.

CAN maintained that the Boko Haram members being detained were criminals who committed heinous crimes against humanity who should face the wrath of the law.
It accused the Nigerian correspondent of the Cable Network News (CNN) of downplaying the fact the majority of the girls kidnapped are Christians.

“We condemned the forceful conversion of abducted Christian girls from Chibok into the Islamic fold by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
“Our Muslim brothers told us that Islam is not by compulsion and we are surprised that our girls who were abducted in school by the terrorists have forcefully converted them to Islam.

“This is a confirmation that the Boko Haram is waging a war is against Christianity.  We are calling on the federal government and the internationally community to know that there is no ambiguity in what the  Boko Haram actually wanted – they are waging a war against Christians and Christianity.

“We also want to urge that the CNN reporter in Nigeria should be called to order because he is down playing the reality of what is going on. Majority of the girls kidnapped are Christians, but he is downplaying this fact and misleading the world. We don’t know whose agenda he is executing but we are calling on him let the world know the truth.

“Those girls are not Muslims and we are urging the terrorists to return them to their parents, ” Asake stated.