Father of the suspect arrested for attempting to bomb a Parish of Winners Chapel in Kaduna on Sunday, Mr. Samuel Ezekiel, has confirmed that the suspect is his son.
He has also confirmed that his son is a Christian, with the given name Nathaniel.
Furthermore, he said contrary to reports in the media, his son has never practiced Islam.
“No! Not even for a single day has he been a Muslim,” Ezekiel said in his Marabar Demishi village, in Kaduna.
Recall that the suspect’s name had been a source of controversy. While some people claimed his name was Nathaniel Samuel, some said it was Mohammed Sani.
Some reports said Samuel had told the Christian leaders who arrested him at the Winners Chapel that he was Mohammed Sani, only for the police to parade him as Nathaniel Samuel.
READ ALSO: Winners’ Chapel Suspected bomber Is Mohammed Sani, Not Samuel Nathaniel
However, speaking to a reporter with Daily Trust who visited him alongside the Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, the suspect’s father put paid to the controversy.
He said Nathaniel was born in 1991 and schooled in the state. His mother is from Nasarawa state even though she no longer lives with them, Mr. Ezekiel further stated.
He maintained that his son has been a Christian and never a Muslim and that his name is not Mohammed Sani.
Ezekiel also said he was shocked when he was told that his son carried a bomb into a church because he wondered what would have happened to the lives of people in the church.
“If he was alone, I don’t care but for the lives that are in the church, I begin to wonder. I shed tears,” he said.
Reverend Hayab Joseph said he had known the father of the suspect for many years, adding that he didn’t know that Nathaniel was the son of his son until he visited the house.
He said CAN is not concerned about Nathaniel’s name or religion but the act of criminality that he would have committed which should be addressed.
He further expressed disappointment over the failure of the Police to do a thorough check on the suspect’s background, saying that would have saved Nigerians a lot of stress on the identity of the suspect.
