Are the Jewish religious sect in Abia being persecuted?

According to section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular, he may form or belong to any political party, trade union, or any other association for the protection of his interest.  While in article 38(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

While other religious sects may have been enjoying their rights to their faith as enshrined in the constitution, apart from those in the troubled Northeast where the activities of the Boko Haram has hits virtually every religious, the Jewish community especially those in Abia State cannot say exactly so.

A combined team of personnel of Abia State Police Command, soldiers and Department of State Security Services (DSS) in January reportedly raided a Jewish synagogue located at No. 56 Imo Avenue off Faulks road Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State.

Reports from the area have it that the soldiers, Policemen and officials of the DSS who came in about 8 Hilux vans raided the Jewish worship center and arrested wife of the Priest in-charge of the synagogue and a worshipper.

The security agents according to information available to Infonet9ja.com, reveals that the security personnel also arrested an Abuja based Hebrew teacher who was at the synagogue to teach members of the faith, Hebrew language.

Some of the Jewish worshippers who spoke to our reporter over the development claimed that the security team also made away with Torah and Tanakh; Jewish study books during the raid.

They also claimed that the suspects were taken to the Aba Central Police Station where they were “unlawfully” detained by the police.

They claimed that the security agents by their actions have desecrated the “Holy of the Holies of synagogue because they were not sanctified before entering into the Holy Place”.

The worshippers who bemoaned the forceful invasion of their worship center by the security agencies and stated that it was a sacrilege for the security agencies to invade their worship center with their uncleanness.

“How can the police attribute IPOB activities to us, Jewish worshippers? I am sure that the security agencies would not have invaded their worship centers in the manner that they invaded our center. But simply because we are perceived to be in the minority, they decided to invade our worship center the way they did. Our religion is just for IPOB members, but for everyone. It is like the church where every person is allowed to come and pray just like Christians and Muslims do.

“Why would they just invade here and took away our Torah and Tanakh? It shows that they don’t have respect for the Creator?

A member who gave his name as Gideon said that there was no amount of intimidation from the security agents would deter them from worshipping their God as long as what they are doing is lawful.

However, three months after the invasion of the Jewish temple in Aba, officers of the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police on Thursday May 10 at Afaraukwu, Ibeku the country home of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu reportedly arrested some Jewish worshippers.

On Monday May 14, over 100 members of Jewish worshippers dressed in the robes that they usually wear for their service to an unusual place of worship. They were in Magistrate Court 7 sitting under Umuahia North Judicial District to show solidarity for their members who were brought before the court for trial by the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force.

Their offence, Infonet9ja.com gathered was simply that they had gone to the country home of one of their leaders and leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to hold their Shabbat Celebration and to also pray for the Kanu’s, whom their son was yet to be seen after soldiers stormed his father’s residence in October last year. A move they alleged didn’t go down well with the Abia State Police Command.

While members of the religious sect were alleging the police was persecuting them because of their fate and for going to Kanu’s father’s compound at the same Afaraukwu to hold their service, the police in suit No. U/435c/2018 on Monday May 14 when they arraigned nine members of the sect before magistrate Court 7 sitting in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State presided over by His Worship, U.O Egwu accused them of terrorism.

Counsels to the Jewish worshippers told the court that it was wrong for the police to brand people practicing their religion terrorists even when the police couldn’t provide evidence to back their claims and sought that the court in its wisdom should grant the accused persons bail, but the police prosecutor severally objected the positions of the counsels.

Nkama Agha (30years), Ifeanyichukwu Anukwua (33yrs), Elder Ifeanyi Nwafor (53yrs), Linus Njoku Ede (44yrs), Mzi Donatus Nwadike (75yrs), Chukwuemeka Adaenyi (32yrs), Uche Ikechukwu (45yrs), Akelibo Okurishi (25yrs) and Nwaeke Nehemiah Oguguo (27yrs) were brought before the court by the police under terrorism act of Abia State law 2009.

“That the above persons and others at large on May 13, at Afaraukwu in Umuahia North were arrested while they were carrying out their act of terrorism and with the intent to frighten one ASP Justus Ogar of Nigeria Police, Abia State Command and his team and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 12(a) of the Abia State Prohibition of terrorism, kidnapping, hostage taking, use of Offensive weapons or Explosives and other threatening Behaviour Law 2009,” the charge read.

Magistrate Egwu, after listening to the arguments of the lead counsel Chief Godwin I. Chionye and Alloy Ejimakor, representing accused persons 6 -9 and the prosecuting counsel, O. O. Uche, said that it was wrong for police to arraign the accused persons before a court that he (prosecutor) knows doesn’t have the jurisdiction to try the matter.

He therefore ordered that the matter be transferred to the High Court where the accused have the right to apply for their bail and adjourned the matter for Wednesday May 30 for compliance.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the sitting Chionye, counsel to the Jewish worshippers  said “They were charged of a terrorist act which the Magistrate has no power to entertain even though I told him he has power to grant them bail but he ruled otherwise. We are going to the High court to get them out on bail; it’s a bail able offence.

“They did not commit any offence at all. I am from Afaraukwu where they were arrested, I passed through where they were on Sunday before their arrest, they were no carrying guns or any dangerous weapons but their Bibles and Bible does not constitute dangerous weapon.

“I even passed them when they were worshipping, they were not terrorizing anybody. How can they be terrorists and they came with their children same of who were arrested by the police?

“The police action in arresting the worshippers was not fair, the Fulani herdsmen that have been terrorizing Nigerians have been allowed to move freely, only for innocent people to be tagged terrorists and are being in turn terrorized.”

Ejimakor, representing accused persons 6 -9 narrating how he rushed down to Umuahia on Sunday after being told of the arrest of the Jewish family said “I went to the police station on Sunday, hoping to get them released on bail by the police or to have no charged preferred against because they did nothing wrong.

“It is a clear case of religious persecution which is against the African Charter on Human Rights. It’s against UN Charter and it’s against the laws of Federation of Nigeria. I think it is happening because of three reasons, one because they are Igbo mostly.  Two, because they are Jews, Jews are being persecuted in this country; that is what we are going to see as the new high of persecution in Nigeria perhaps because the Fulani dominated Federal government is muzzling the Igbo.

“A sensitive Federal Government would not permit it police forces to be pushing religious adherents around like this and making them feels second class citizens. Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of movement, does it mean that anybody that goes to Nnamdi Kanu’s house should be arrested?

“The place is a place of pilgrimage of sorts; Kanu’s father is a royal father. Citizens of Nigeria can visit the palace any time.

“So, if anybody is trying them for some kind of minor offence because of the location where they choose to perform their Jewish prayers and rites, that is wrong.”

Some other members of the community who spoke to our reporter stated that the persecution by the police and other security agencies instead of demoralizing them would strengthen their faith. This is as they even appealed to the international community to call Nigerian government and its security apparatus to order and sanction them if need be.