Catholic Bishops Urge Decisive Gov’t Action To Tackle Worsening Insecurity
By Stella Enenche, Abuja
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has warned over the nation’s increasingly fragile security landscape, urging the government to act decisively to arrest the slide toward national instability.
CBCN’s warning was contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by its President, Archbishop Iwejuru Ugorji, and the Secretary, Bishop Donatus Ogun.
The bishops lamented the persistent violence that has claimed thousands of lives, destroyed communities, and deepened social and religious tension across the country.
The CBCN condemned the repeated attacks on predominantly Christian communities in the North and Middle Belt, noting allegations of delayed or inadequate security response in some areas, such failures, the bishops said, have fueled public fear, despair, and claims of “genocide” by affected groups.
They also stressed that Muslims and citizens of other backgrounds have equally suffered from the expanding wave of violence.
Recent incidents including the abduction of worshippers in Kwara, 25 girls in Kebbi, 13 female farmers in Borno, and 265 students and teachers in Niger State, as well as the killing of over 70 people in Southern Taraba illustrate the “disturbing scale” of criminality, the bishops said.
The killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other security personnel, they added, underscores how deeply insecurity has penetrated national life.
Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, the CBCN called on the government to fulfil its primary duty of protecting lives and property.
It demanded thorough investigations into “delayed or withheld” security responses and urged immediate efforts to secure the release of all abducted persons and the safe return of displaced citizens to their homes.
The bishops also raised concerns about religious freedom, highlighting the denial of land for church buildings in some northern states, destruction of churches during the height of Boko Haram insurgency, and what they described as the “overreach” of Sharia courts. They recalled the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto and renewed calls for justice.
They further criticised the activities of Hisbah morality enforcement groups, saying their actions have often resulted in harassment of both Christians and Muslims, undermining Nigeria’s constitutional secularity and social cohesion.
Despite the grim circumstances, the bishops praised Nigerians for their resilience and urged citizens of all faiths to reject division, uphold justice, and work together for peace.
“Peace is not the responsibility of a select few. It is the duty of all,” the CBCN said.
