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Chatham House - Flickr
World News

Step aside to save the nation: Bishop's message to Nigerian President Buhari

by Eno Adeogun

Their recommendation follows the recent murders of two Catholic priests and 15 other worshippers in Benue State, by suspected Fulani herdsmen. 

In a statement, entitled When will this barbarism end?, the Catholic Bishops - who are currently in Rome on an official visit - said: "[The government] stand back while its security agencies deliberately turn a blind eye to the cries and wails of helpless and armless citizens who remain sitting ducks in their homes, farms, highway and now, even in their sacred places of worship.

 

"Along with millions of Nigerians, we have expressed our lack of confidence in the security agencies, which the President has deliberately placed in the hands of the adherents of only one religion."

The bishops had previously expressed their concern at the increasing insecurity, violence and impunity, in a meeting with Mr Buhari on 8th February.

However, their statement claimed "since then, the bloodletting and the destruction of homes as well as farmlands have increased in intensity and brutality".

It went on to read: "Now our churches have been desecrated and our people murdered on their altars... [Nigeria's Christians] collectively feel abandoned and betrayed.

CSW

"Since the President who appointed the Heads of the nation's Security Agencies has refused to call them to order, even in the face of the chaos and barbarity into which our country has been plunged, we are left with no choice but to conclude that they are acting a script that he approves of.

"If the President cannot keep our country safe, then he automatically loses the trust of the citizens. He should no longer continue to preside over the killing fields and mass graveyard that our country has become."

Addressing the President directly, they added: "It is time for him to choose the part of honour and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse."

Mervyn Thomas, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's chief executive also raised concerns about the continued violence in Nigeria.

He said: "The herder militia, which travels from state to state murdering men, women and children with impunity, have contributed to a significant rise in lawlessness that now threatens the very integrity of the nation. Once again, we urge President Buhari to make good on his assurances that the perpetrators of these brutal murders will be apprehended, and to ensure that culprits responsible for earlier massacres are also brought to justice.

"A holistic plan to tackle this violence must be devised and implemented without further delay."

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