The Catholic Church has called on the Nigerian government to do more to stop constant violence within the country, with the Pope also expressing his concern on the situation.
Kidnappings and killings impacting Christians within the country are an everyday occurrence, with the crimes often committed by Islamist militia or gangs of armed bandits.
Last yr Catholic bishop Wilfred Anagbe warned that massacres during Christian festivals were becoming “customary” in parts of the country, while one other bishop John Bakeni, said that in places violence had “assumed genocidal character”.
In November the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, declared a nationwide emergency and pledged to double the dimensions of the police forces. On Christmas Day the US conducted airstrikes targeting Islamist camps within the country. The atrocities haven’t ceased nonetheless.
In January a pastor was killed together with members of his family, over 160 Christians were kidnapped during two church services, and dozens of Christian and Muslim men were massacred by bandits.
In one more incident, Catholic priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye was kidnapped on 7 February by gunmen. Days earlier 160 people were massacred by Jihadist militants in Kwara state. The victims were reportedly Muslims who refused to simply accept an extreme interpretation of Islam.
The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria said, “The recurring carnage has turn out to be a stain on the conscience of our nation. How can it’s justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in a single coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara State?
“How can we explain the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger State, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the continuing violence in Borno? This is just not ‘instability’ but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of each Nigerian’s right to live in peace.”
The Nigerian government, the CSN said, should take greater efforts to stop such atrocities, to bring those answerable for such crimes to justice and to offer relief to survivors.
Pope Leo XIV also spoke of the situation in Nigeria during his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer.
“It is with sorrow and concern that I learned of the recent attacks against various communities in Nigeria resulting in a heavy lack of life,” he said.
“I express my prayerful closeness to all of the victims of violence and terrorism. I likewise hope that the competent authorities will proceed to work with determination to make sure the protection and protection of the lifetime of every citizen.”
