A group calling itself the Mangu Concerned Muslim Consultative Forum (MCMCF), located in Mangu local government area of Plateau State, has criticized Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, the prominent Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi LGA. The group objected to a recent statement by Rev. Dachomo, calling it inciting, inflammatory, and designed to cause discord between Christians and Muslims in the state.
According to the MCMCF, Rev. Dachomo had recently alleged that Muslims in Mangu converted a COCIN church building into a mosque following the recent area attacks.
In a statement released on Thursday titled “Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo’s malicious allegations against Mangu Muslim Community,” the group labeled the claim as ”inflammatory, reckless, and completely unsubstantiated.”
The statement read, “The Mangu Concerned Muslim Consultative Forum (MCMCF) strongly condemns the inflammatory, reckless, and completely unsubstantiated claim made by Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Regional Chairman of COCIN, that a COCIN church building in Mangu LGA was converted into a mosque after the recent attacks.”
The group argued that the pastor’s allegations are a deliberate lie intended to portray the Mangu Muslim community as aggressors and usurpers of Christian property, provoke hatred, and disrupt the fragile peace in the local government.
“The MCMCF rejects this dangerous narrative in its entirety and demands immediate proof or public retraction. Until tangible evidence is presented, Reverend Dachomo’s claim remains nothing more than malicious disinformation,” the statement asserted.
The group emphasized that it was compelled to release its position to stop “this destructive rumour-mongering” and formally demand that Rev. Dachomo immediately provide the following specific, verifiable details:
* The full, official name of the COCIN church building he claims was converted;
* The exact village or community in Mangu LGA where this alleged conversion took place;
* The precise date or timeframe when the building was supposedly converted and occupied as a mosque.
The MCMCF warned that failing to provide these fundamental facts on the same platforms where the accusation was made will confirm that the claim is baseless and was only meant to escalate tensions.
The group further claimed that while Rev. Dachomo is making unproven accusations against Muslims, the actions of the Muslim community in Mangu show otherwise.
The MCMCF stated that Muslims in Mangu have actively protected COCIN churches and Christian properties in their areas during attacks. They offered the COCIN church in Sabon Kasuwa as a clear example, noting that it remains completely undamaged within a Muslim community, with local Muslims ensuring its safety.
The MCMCF, however, pointed out that during recent violence in the council, mosques were destroyed, including those in Mangu Daawo and other locations, which have been turned into refuse dumps and sites for open defecation. They viewed this as a deliberate and ongoing act of desecration that demonstrates a profound lack of respect for Islamic sacred spaces.
The statement concluded that this “glaring double standard exposes the hypocrisy” behind Rev. Dachomo’s selective outrage, and that the Muslim community of Mangu “will no longer accept being slandered with fabrications.”
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