BEVERLY HILLS, February 27, (THEWILL) – The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has insisted that the Federal Government had not shown willingness to end the spate of killings by the Boko Haram insurgents and herdsmen in the country.
The Catholic bishops, who stated this on Wednesday in a statement by their President, Augustine Akubeze, and Secretary, Camillus Umoh, said the failure of the government to arrest the criminals showed its insincerity and lack of commitment to protecting lives and property in the country.
The CBCN issued the statement to mark the Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of the 40-day Lenten period for Christians towards the Easter celebration.
Berating the Federal Government, the group said, “The level of insecurity in Nigeria today is such that whether at home or on the road, most Nigerians, in all the parts of the country, live in fear.
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“The repeated barbaric execution of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group and other terrorists have traumatised many citizens.
“That the perpetrators of these heinous crimes make public shows of them on social media and Nigerians, do not hear of any arrest or prosecution of the criminals raise grave questions about the ability and willingness of the government to protect the lives of the ordinary Nigerians.
“To make matters worse, many communities are constantly threatened, harassed and sometimes even sacked by herdsmen, as they seek to take over more territories to graze their cattle forcefully.”
The bishops, who said Nigeria needed foreign assistance, stated, “We equally appeal to the international community to come to the aid of the Nigerian government in the fight against these daredevil terrorists, who want to graze our country. The consequences, should they succeed, will be grave not only for the West African sub-region but also for Africa as a whole.”
