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The Northern Christian Association (NCA) has called on security agencies to investigate a viral video purportedly showing a man leading a group of youths in Hausa chants demanding AK-47 rifles to attack Christians in Enugu state and Jos, Plateau srate.
The association described the alleged remarks as barbaric, shameful and a serious security concern, warning that threats of religiously motivated violence must not be dismissed as ordinary social media content. Blueprint reports
The video, which began attracting widespread attention on social media on Sunday and Monday, reportedly shows a man leading uniformed youths in a marching or jogging exercise while chanting about travelling to Enugu to attack people described as “infidels” during Sunday worship before proceeding to Jos to kill more people.
The identities of those featured in the footage, the date and location of the recording and the circumstances surrounding the chants have yet to be independently established.
Reports have also linked the uniforms to the First Aid Group of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), popularly known as Izala, although the alleged affiliation of the participants and whether the activity was authorised by the organisation remain unverified.
In a statement issued to journalists on Monday, NCA Chairman, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, said the association would not reach a conclusion about the video until its authenticity had been established, but stressed that the alleged threats required urgent attention from the relevant authorities.
“While we will not conclude until the authenticity of the video is verified, it now seems that some individuals have become so powerful that they can make hateful remarks and go scot-free without any security checks.
“This is no longer a religious issue but a security matter. It is shameful and must not be encouraged,” he said.
Hayab warned that allowing threats against people on the basis of their religious beliefs to go unexamined could undermine public confidence in the security system and deepen mistrust among communities.
He maintained that the issue should be approached as a matter of public safety and law enforcement rather than reduced to a contest between religious groups.
“What a barbaric way of doing things! Both Christians and Muslims should embrace the moral responsibility of training their children. This is not good for our country. What an indoctrination?” he queried.
NCA urges parents, religious leaders to promote tolerance
The NCA chairman called on Christian and Muslim leaders, parents, teachers and community leaders to pay closer attention to the values being imparted to children and young people.
He said religious instruction should encourage compassion, respect for human life, discipline and peaceful coexistence, rather than promote hostility towards people of different faiths.
Hayab warned that the apparent normalisation of religious hatred, particularly among young people, could make efforts to build a united and peaceful Nigeria increasingly difficult.
He stressed that the country’s religious diversity should be a basis for mutual understanding and national cohesion, not a justification for intimidation, threats or violence.
According to him, every Nigerian has the right to live, work and worship without fear, irrespective of religious or ethnic background.
The NCA chairman cautioned that if adherents of different religions continued to express hostility towards one another or encourage violence against people of other beliefs, sustaining peaceful coexistence would become a difficult task.
He urged religious institutions to ensure that their teachings and activities reinforced the sanctity of human life and respect for the rights of others.
Calls grow for security agencies to investigate video
The association’s demand comes amid wider calls from Nigerians for the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to investigate the footage.
The video has attracted attention on social media, with several users expressing concern over the references to firearms, Enugu, Jos and attacks on people during Sunday worship.
Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, also called on the DSS and police to investigate the recording after circulating a translation of the chants attributed to the man leading the group.
The translation shared online suggests that the speaker was asking for an AK-47 rifle to travel to Enugu and attack people during worship, before making a similar reference to Jos.
However, the accuracy and context of the translation, as well as the identities and intentions of those involved, require independent verification.
The NCA said the authorities should establish where and when the video was recorded, identify the individuals featured and determine whether the statements attributed to them were accurately translated.
It urged the DSS, police and other relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and take appropriate action in accordance with the law if the allegations are substantiated.
The association also warned against dismissing the footage as harmless chants, noting that alleged threats involving firearms and the targeting of people because of their faith raise legitimate security concerns.
As of the time of reporting, no official response from the security agencies confirming an investigation into the particular footage had been established. The alleged connection between the individuals shown and JIBWIS also remained unverified.
Need to establish responsibility without generalisation
The controversy has also renewed calls for religious organisations to address allegations involving individuals purportedly associated with their activities.
While the uniforms seen in the video have been linked in media reports to JIBWIS’s First Aid Group, the appearance of individuals in such attire does not, by itself, establish their membership or prove that the organisation authorised or endorsed the alleged chants.
The NCA’s call for an investigation places emphasis on establishing the facts, identifying those directly responsible and determining whether any laws have been violated.
A thorough inquiry, the association maintains, would help clarify the circumstances surrounding the recording and ensure that any action taken is based on evidence rather than speculation.
The video has generated concerns about the possible consequences of inflammatory religious rhetoric, particularly in a country where religious and communal tensions have contributed to insecurity in some areas.
The NCA reiterated its commitment to religious freedom, justice, peaceful coexistence and the protection of all Nigerians, insisting that no individual or group should be threatened or targeted because of their religious beliefs.
Hayab urged the relevant authorities to establish the facts surrounding the video and take necessary preventive measures to ensure that threats of religious violence do not escalate into actual attacks.
He stressed that Nigeria’s unity depends on the willingness of citizens, religious leaders and public institutions to reject hatred, uphold the rule of law and protect the rights and safety of people across religious and ethnic divides.
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