MATAZU (KATSINA) – The Katsina State Inter-faith Committee has denied the destruction of a Church in Matazu Local Government Area by the Katsina Urban and Regional Planning Development Authority[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″] (KURPDA).
The chairman of the committee, Alhaji Isah Dodo made the denial on Saturday in Matazu during a visit to the area.
He said that the committee was mandated by the state government to investigate and ascertain the true[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″] picture of the matter.
He explained that the affected area was a pathway between a school and staff quarters of the church.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Dodo further explained that the church decided to fence the school and the staff quarters, thereby, blocking the pathway which had been in existence for more than 20 years.
He said that the committee’s investigation revealed that the church did not have permission from the authorities before it fenced the area in question.
He called on people of the area to remain calm as the committee would make recommendations to the state government on its findings.
Dodo, nonetheless, said that the government would take final decisions on the matter.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″]
Earlier, the leader of the ECWA Church, Rev. Audu Bakwai, said that they decided to fence the place for security reasons.
He, however, said that they had been living peacefully with Muslims in the area without any conflict.
Also speaking, Pastor Yakubu Danladi, who is from the area, said that the path had been in existence for the past 20 years.
He said that the church had not been earmarked for demolition, stressing that it was only the fence in between a school and staff quarters that generated the controversy.
“People have been passing through the path for the past 20 years and nobody asked them to stop,’’ he said.
The District Head of Matazu, Alhaji Ibrahim Maikano, represented by Alhaji Halliru Matazu, said that both Muslims and Christians had been living peacefully with each other for the past 100 years in the area.
He urged his subjects to continue to live in peace with one another for meaningful development. (NAN)