Samuel Ezekiel, the father of suspected bomber, Nathaniel Samuel, has responded to reports that his son was caught with a suspected improvised explosive device at the Living Faith Church in Sabon Tasha area of Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State. Nathaniel’ s father, confirmed that his son is a Christian, and not a Muslim after the identity of the arrested would-be bomber had generated uproar across the country.
Daily Trust reporter, who visited the suspect’s house at Marabar Demishi village located few kilometres from Maraban Rido in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state met his father, Samuel Ezekiel, a Jarawa by tribe from Bauchi state, alongside the Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab. He stated that Nathaniel was born in 1991 and schooled in the state, adding that his mother was from Nasarawa state even though she no longer live with them.
Asked if his son bears Mohammed Sani as being speculated, he said, “No! Not even for a single day has he been a Muslim.” Mr 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 told the reporter. Also speaking with Daily Trust, Reverend Hayab Joseph said he knew the father of the suspect for many years, noting that it’s just that he didn’t know that Nathaniel was the son of Mr. Ezekiel 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 also 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.