Boko Haram: Southern Kaduna Festival Cancelled; Jonathan Vows Fight ‘To The End’
Out of fear of possible Boko Haram bombing, the 2012 Afan Festival, also known as Kagoro Day in Southern Kaduna, has been cancelled. The event, the largest and most popular ethnic festival in Northern Nigeria, is normally held on the 1st of January.
The cancellation is in recognition of the bombings the Boko Haram sect vowed to unleash on Christian communities on 31st December 2011 and 1st January 2012.
The cancellation came today as President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was vowing in Abuja that his government will fight Boko Haram, the “group of evil-minded people who want to cause anarchy, to the end”.
Mr. Jonathan was speaking to Mr. Mohame Bazoum, Deputy Prime Minister of Niger Republic, who brought a solidarity message and condolences to Nigeria for lives lost during the Christmas Day attacks from President Issoufou Mahamadou.
Today’s unprecedented cancellation of Kagoro Day was contained in a statement SaharaReporters received today in Kagoro, Southern Kaduna.
Signed by Sunday Gwafan, National President of Kagoro Development Association, it said, “The Traditional Council and the Kagoro community in Kaura local government area of Kaduna State, wish to inform the general public and in particular, the friends and well wishers of Kagoro Chiefdom that because of the current mood of the nation the usual National Afan Festival which holds every 1st day of January of the year will not hold in the usual manner.
“Instead, the Kagoro community being predominantly Christian, has decided to observe the festival in a solemn manner in all Churches, praising and worshiping our God and thanking Him for all the blessings of the year past and praying for peace, protection, unity and more blessings for the chiefdom, state and nation at large. We therefore invite all Kagoro sons and daughters, including friends and well wishers, to come home for these prayers that will be held on the 1st January 2012 in all Churches in Kagoro land. The Chief of Kagoro and other government functionaries will worship at ECWA Hausa Fadan Kagoro by 10:00 am.”
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