CAN has released a statement calling the Council of Imams and Ulama in Kaduna state hypocrites. This statement came after the Council of Imams called for the arrest of CAN chairman and other Christians because they asked the victims of the Southern Kaduna crisis to defend themselves.
Here is the statement signed the Secretary
General of CAN,  Rev. Musa Asake. Read it below…

“To CAN, this is a surprising shameless, unveiled criminal support for
evil. While, the killings of children, women, aged and the most
defenseless of Southern Kaduna natives and the destruction of entire
communities was at its peak, no one knew that a group called Council of
Imams and Ulama existed in Kaduna state.

When Church leaders under the banner of CAN kept praying for Southern
Kaduna and other affected areas in the country, visiting traumatized
communities and softly calling on government to do the needy, this
Council of Imams was silent and invisible. In a press conference in
Kaduna on November 7th 2016, Jema’a Foundation, Miyetti Allah and Mobgal
Fulbe Development Association confirmed that Fulani and Hausa Muslims
have been behind the ethnic cleansing and destruction of villages and
houses of worship in Southern Kaduna. They claimed they had to do this
to entrench their rights to practice Islam, alleging they were being
marginalized in Southern Kaduna. Those who addressed the press were
Abdullahi Hassan Mohammed, Ahmad M. Yandeh and Abdulhamid Musa. Again,
on December 31, 2016, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Assistant National
Secretary of Miyetti Allah also echoed the same position that the Fulani
were carrying out reprisal killings. In view of this glaring confession
all these Fulani men, is it not reprehensible, distasteful and vile
that the Council of Imams and Ulama Kaduna State did not call for the
arrest of these people who are in conspiracy with the murderers? With
their position now, it is obvious that these Imams are part of the evil
network desperately trying to decimate the Christian population of
Southern Kaduna and the taking over of their lands Islamist herdsmen
terrorists. These are the Muslim clerics that encourage and inspire the
jihad carried out their foot soldiers. We have refused to keep silent
as we are speaking up to government and telling the world the devilish
plot against the Christian community in Southern Kaduna and other
affected areas. While those they inspired through their wicked sermons
to kill and conquer new territories for Islam are carrying out their
instructions, they are now intimidating the victims with Gov. El-Rufai’s
infamous position of “call for self-defense is hate speech. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is exposing the enemies of His Kingdom one one. For the
records, the words and the way of life of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Saviour of the world before whom all knees shall bow, was never violent.
CAN therefore, thrives under His inspiration and guidance. We can never
call on a Christian to kill another human being. But we cannot tell a
Christian to unjustly submit himself to murderers, his family wiped, his
community taken over with crude violence so that a new community of
herdsmen terrorists be established as it is happening now in Southern
Kaduna, especially as government is not showing enough commitment to
arresting the situation. CAN therefore, has no apology over what comment
it has made on the religious cleansing in Southern Kaduna and other
places in the country. It is clear fact that CAN has the more to lose
with the continuance of these madness. Since May last year to date in
Southern Kaduna alone, over 100 Christians have been killed; over 53
communities with their churches have been destroyed and not less than 16
villages have been conquered and are now being occupied Fulani
herdsmen terrorists”.