Catholic bishops lament rising insecurity, demand urgent govt action

Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has lamented the worsening state of insecurity in the country, declaring that “everyone is tired” of the persistent killings, kidnappings and violence across Nigeria. The bishops made the remarks during a special thanksgiving Mass held at Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, on Tuesday, to celebrate the 90th birthday, 60 years of priestly ministry and 55 years of episcopal service of Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie. Speaking at the event, the Archbishop of Lagos and Vice President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, urged President Bola Tinubu and all levels of government to intensify efforts to restore peace and security to the country. Martins said, “We are aware of the challenges facing Nigeria at this time; most significantly, the issue of insecurity is the one problem that breaks the heart of everyone here. “As we wake up every day, we hear news of atrocities by Boko Haram, bandits and all sorts of criminals all over the country.” The archbishop lamented the increasing incidents of kidnappings, attacks on security personnel and the displacement of communities across the country. He said, “Every day we hear of people being kidnapped by so-called bandits and other criminals. We hear of soldiers being ambushed and killed, including generals; people being displaced from their homes and even traditional rulers fleeing their domains for fear of attack. It is becoming more difficult to understand what is going on in our country.” Martins said the most fitting birthday gift the nation’s leaders could offer Okogie would be a safer and more peaceful nation. He said, “One great gift that can be given to him is for those who have responsibility for leading us at all levels of government to step up their efforts so that people can live in peace, sleep with both eyes closed and travel the streets without fear and anguish. Security agencies need to be properly empowered to do their duties and encouraged to face the risks associated with their profession. Everyone is tired. Government at all levels and the security agencies should do more.” Nigeria has witnessed an upsurge in insecurity in recent months, with a police report indicating that no fewer than 50 bandit attacks were launched in one week. The abducted pupils, students and teachers in schools in Borno and Oyo states are yet to be rescued since the incidents occurred over a month ago. There have also been abductions in Kwara and Ekiti stat