The 24th edition of the Annual Southern Kaduna Prayer Summit was held on Saturday, with a call on Churches and Mosques in the area to defend themselves against attacks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Southern Kaduna prayer summit is convened annually by the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA).

NAN also reports that no fewer than 177 worshippers were abducted from three Churches in the zone on January 18. Speaking at the event in Kafanchan, Apostle Emmanuel Kure, SKCLA Chairman, explained that worship centres were sacred places that must be protected.

According to him, Churches must complement the government’s efforts by putting robust security measures in place to safeguard their premises. “We must take immediate steps and not create an environment for this kind of thing to recur.

“We are calling upon all Churches and Mosques alike to rise and do the needful to secure their places of worship. “The youth organisations in our worship centres must come together to protect these places so that we can prevent what happened in Kajuru,” he added.

Kure called on the government to intensify efforts to secure the quick release of the abducted Kajuru worshippers.

He tasked the Southern Kaduna elites with the need to establish industries that would employ the teeming youths in the area. In his goodwill message, Daniel Amos, the member representing Jema’a and Sanga Federal Constituency, described Southern Kaduna as a rich land with immense potential.

Amos urged Christians and religious leaders in Southern Kaduna to deepen their prayers for Nigeria’s peace, stability and development, especially as the country approaches another election year.

Highlights of the occasion were the ministration of songs, prayers for the land, as well as the inauguration of the new executives of SKCLA.