The Name Of Winners’ Suspected Bomber Is Mohammed, Not Samuel – CAN

There has been an argument regarding the name and religious practice of the suspected suicide bomber who was arrested while trying to blow up a chapel of the Living Faith Church located at the Sabo metropolis of Chikun Local government area of Kaduna State on Sunday.

Naija News recalls that it was revealed by the Police on Monday that the suicide bomber is a Christian and bears the Samuel Nathaniel.

However, to clear the air of been misinformed, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State, Rev. John Hayab, has come to say that the identity earlier given of the bomber is false.

Hayab said in his reaction that the real name of the bombing suspect arrested at Winners’ Chapel Parish in Kaduna State on Sunday was given by the suspect as Mohammed Sani while he was first arrested by the Church before he was surrendered to the Nigerian Police.

“After the church handed him over to the police, the suspect’s name suddenly changed to Samuel Nathaniel,” said Hayab.

Speaking further about the incident in an interview with newsmen on Monday, Rev. Hayab said, “therefore, there is a need for the matter to be thoroughly investigated.”

“The church was in session when the young man came in, dropped his bag and exited as if he was going to the toilet, but didn’t come back in time. Some church members became suspicious. The church had put security measures in place such that they monitor everything going on in the church and they even have CCTV cameras.”

“They discovered that what was in the bag looked like explosives, so they called the police. Let me state clearly that it was not the police that arrested him. It was the church that arrested him and then handed him over to the police.

“The police came to pick him up at the church. At the time he was interrogated at the church, he told the church that his name was Mohammed Sani, but when he was handed over to the police, the police told everyone that his name was Samuel Nathaniel.”

He added , “mix-up in the name of the suspect had further given credence to the claims by the United States that Nigeria remained a terrorist-prone country because of a lack of a database.”

The clergyman noted that the religion which the suspect practises should not be the focus of public discussions but the act of terrorism.

Hayab recalled also while speaking, that a similar incident had occurred some weeks back where the police arrested a thug and erroneously tagged him as a pastor.”

“This incident justifies the US’ decision to place visa restrictions on Nigerians. The US Government told us that one of the reasons for the visa ban was that Nigeria does not do proper background checks on people,” he said.

“So, a criminal can go to one part of Kaduna and bear John, travel to another part of the state and bear Abdullahi or Oluwole or Emeka and nobody will know. So, let us stop focusing on his name but his crime. A criminal is a criminal.

“There are now two versions, one from the church and one from the police. I don’t care what his name is. All I know is that a criminal wanted to blow up a church and kill people. The police should find out who his sponsors are and not play politics with names. Last week, a man was paraded by the police for faking his kidnap and identified as a pastor, only for us to find out he was never a pastor.”

“I know Muslims that bear Paul, I know Christians that bear Mohammed. Our CAN chairman in Borno State is Mohammed Laga. I have a cousin that bears Mohammed Paul. So, let us not focus on the name but on the act of terrorism,” said Hayab.

“The Church would not be intimidated by anyone,” He reiterated.