A Christian group, under the aegis of the Concerned Christian Youths, CCY, has claimed responsibility for the arrest and detention of some persons for cyberbullying and attacks on some Christian leaders in Nigeria.
Recall that the Nigeria Police had invited a former pastor-turned-atheist, Abraham Daniel, and one other person for using their social media platforms to troll some clerics.
However, a section of the media had attributed the arrest to an Abuja-based cleric.
The Christian group in a statement by its coordinator, James Paul Adama, has now confirmed that it is behind the petition that led to the invitation of the suspects by the police.
“Our attention has been drawn to some online publications purportedly claiming that some individuals were arrested by or at the instance of a certain revered man of God. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
“We would like to sensitize the public to treat such publications as egregiously malicious, inciteful and fallacious with the intention of swaying attention from the truth.
“The individuals in question are cyber bullies who have been attacking the Christian Faith and reputable Christian leaders in Nigeria. Those publications are being peddled by the same acrimonious agents in furtherance of their nefarious agenda against the Christian Faith and Christian leaders in Nigeria.
“The arrests were rather made by us, Concerned Christian Youths and Spiritual Sons of the Faith. And we invoked the relevant provisions of the Law against cybercrimes,” the statement said.
The group expressed concerns that such attacks are targeted at the Christian Faith and her reputable leaders, adding that almost every content creator in Nigeria is using the mockery of Christianity and Christian leaders to ply their trade.
CCY, who described the act as denigrating, defamatory and blasphemous to Christianity, said it was unacceptable, adding that no genuine Christian would watch the mockery and denigration of Christianity as is being done in Nigeria with indifference.
According to the group, the most vital part of every man’s existence is his faith or belief system, stressing that they find the foundation of their existence as Christians threatened by the barrage of unwarranted attacks against their spiritual leaders.
“Most reputable leaders are either too big or too busy to engage detractors, and we cannot sit idly by and watch some malicious elements attack their reputation with the aim of confusing the minds of their followers. These are the very people from whose mouths we receive the gospel of hope and salvation.
“Beyond this, the activities of these individuals are breeding social anarchy, moral decadence and lawlessness with the overall implication of plunging our society if not the whole nation into an inferno of social and religious violence. Our country has grappled with the challenges of insecurity for so long; we cannot afford to open a new front for another form of violence and insecurity.
“Therefore, it is in the overall interest of national security to address this social media brigandage called cyberbullying,” it added.
It claimed responsibility for the publicised arrest, emphasising that it was not done by any man of God as purported by the ‘malicious’ publications.
CCY further reiterated that any attempt to twist the narrative and force falsehood down the throats of the public will be vehemently resisted with further legal actions using applicable provisions of the Law.