Nigeria’s bishops have called on the government to take urgent action to respond to the country’s deteriorating security situation, warning that “criminality has penetrated our national life”. Source: The Tablet.
In a statement yesterday responding to the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the US Government and President Donald Trump’s threats of military intervention, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria expressed concerns about repeated attacks on predominantly Christian communities, particularly in the Northern and Middle Belt regions.
The statement, jointly signed by the CBCN president Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji of Owerri and its secretary, Bishop Donatus Aihmiosion Ogun of Uromi, detailed cases where the security services were slow or failed to respond to violence.
“The near-total destruction and occupation of some communities, and the continued attacks on displaced persons even in camps, have deepened the people’s sense of abandonment and despair,” the bishops said, referring to the allegations that prompted the US to make the CPC designation earlier this month.
“Such prolonged unbearable conditions have given credence to allegations of ‘genocide’ in some quarters. Yet, Muslims and other innocent citizens have also suffered from this cruelty.”
The bishops urged the government to urgently meet its duty under its1999 constitution to protect lives and property. They called on the authorities to hold the perpetrators of the violence accountable, to ensure the safe return of abducted persons, and to restore displaced communities to their homes.
The statement followed a series of recent attacks across the country including mass kidnappings at two schools.
The bishops also raised concerns about local authorities refusing land for church construction and the destruction of Christian places of worship, as well as the activity of Sharia courts, which they said exercised too much power in some areas.
They cited the murder of the Christian student Deborah Samuel Yakubu, in Sokoto in 2022, by Muslim classmates who accused her of blasphemy as an example.
The bishops urged Nigerians to remain united and committed to peace: “We salute the courage of the Nigerian people who, despite these trying times, continue to demonstrate resilience and trust in a better future.
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Bishops urge Nigerian government to end security ‘despair’ (By Dickson Adeyanju, The Tablet)
