The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Reverend Timothy Daluk, has refused the invitation extended by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), maintaining his stance against the military’s alleged involvement in recent unrest in the region.
Rev. Daluk, who had accused the Nigerian military of complicity in the killing of Christians and property destruction, received an invitation from the DHQ to provide evidence supporting his claims. The invitation came after a widely shared video in which the clergyman detailed events in Mangu, claiming that military personnel forced Christians out of their homes while allowing militias to set their residences on fire.
In response to the DHQ’s accusation of spreading falsehood, Rev. Daluk has firmly stated that he will not retract his allegations. He expressed his reluctance to honor the invitation, saying, “We are not withdrawing our allegations. And I don’t see the reason to honour any invitation by the Defence Headquarters. They should be the ones to come down to Mangu and see for themselves. The evidence is there; graves are there.”
Furthermore, Rev. Daluk recounted a distressing incident, alleging, “Before my eyes, a soldier shot dead one of my people. I called others and reported them. They said the soldier was a fake troop. Whether fake or what, they (the soldiers) are the ones responsible for differentiating.” The clergyman’s refusal to retract his accusations has heightened tensions, raising questions about the relationship between the Christian community and the military in the Mangu Local Government Area.
