Apostle Suleman: What Wrong Has He Done Others Have Not Surpassed?

Lately, there has been grave annoyance bottled inside me, not only for the oppressors, but also for the oppressed who, like Niyi Osundare’s Poem – Not My Business – have continued to showcase an ugly silence because the oppressors have not come to their doorsteps (in particular) to take the yam from their mouth.

Apostle Johnson Suleman

Apostle Suleman, in his 2017 prophesy said and I quote, ‘In 2017, Christians will be oppressed.’ Perhaps, he knew beforehand that the oppression would begin from his threshold. There has been hideous oppression of Christians lately, and it has been glaring for the eyes to see and ears to hear, yet no one says anything because we are scared of the DSS; we are scared losing our breaths, even while we know we are rotting away like cadavers torn open by the vultures. Instead of mourn for a country that has died, we still upload photos and videos of us smiling because we have not been touched yet: only your neighbour was slaughtered by Fulani Herdsmen; God won’t let it get to you! We do not upload scaring pictures of mass burials (people slaughtered in cold blood in their sleep) and weep in our statuses that in spite of this goring homicide, no one has been apprehended, as if our security has become inactive all together.

Our pastors still preach prosperity on alters on Sundays and dance to much applause while many Christians in Southern Kaduna are being slaughtered for no cause. No word would be said to show condolence or to condemn the perpetrators for fear of been interrogated by the DSS. 

As scarce as it may seem, there stood a courageous man – Apostle Suleiman – who despite his office as a clergyman, veiled his eyes to speak for the oppress when there was nobody to speak. In a sermon to his flocks (seeing that the APC-led Federal Government has kept mute in the face of this heinous crisis) he told them to defend themselves against any attack by Fulani herdsmen. It was this very sincere pronunciation of self-defence that the Presidency (or rather, the DSS) saw as a statement capable of instigating the nation into war.

Is Apostle Suleiman’s statement more heinous than the cold blood killings in Agatu and Southern Kaduna, which until now have been denied the revenge they deserve by the federal government they paid allegiance to? Is Apostle Suleiman’s statement more inciting than the recent destruction of churches by the Jigawa Sate Government? Is his statement of Self-defence more annoying than the decision Governor El Rufai took when Fulani Herdsmen began to invade Southern Kaduna? The ‘sage’ of a Governor thought it wise to take Nigeria’s hard-earned money to neighbouring countries not as strong as Nigeria in terms of army, to beg the Fulanis there not to attack the citizens of his state again. DSS was without ears when he said this.

Let us be plain with ourselves: the Country has been divided along political, ethnic and religious lines. These lines have been made deeper in recent times and it is not helping matters. Those holding power oppress those without. And those without harbour dire hatred and plan a payback. Oppression has become so rife; gradually, we ebb towards military regime of our recent past.