From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Catholic Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Mathew Manoso Ndagoso, on Wednesday, April 30, endorsed calls by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and retired General TY Danjuma for communities to adopt self-defence measures amid persistent banditry across Nigeria.
Speaking at the 2025 Pastoral Council/General Assembly of the Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Ndagoso urged communities to organise themselves through information sharing and local patrols to counter attacks.
“There are a lot of communities under siege and the killing seems to have continued unabated. What will the communities do, should they sit back and watch while the bandits kill? No, they need to help themselves by organising themselves in terms of useful information sharing, consistent patrol in their localities,” he said.
“Governor Mutfwang of Plateau has called for this, General T.Y. Danjuma has also reiterated this several times, and I think this is the time for villagers to mobilise and help themselves.”
Ndagoso lamented the unabated rise in banditry, insurgency, kidnappings, and poverty, noting that the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda has yet to deliver significant results.
“Nothing has significantly changed because banditry, insurgency, kidnappings for ransom, very high cost of living, hunger, multi-dimensional poverty are all on the increase. We are still high up on the poverty index,” he said, citing IMF and World Bank reports predicting more Nigerians will fall below the poverty line by 2027.
He added, “We are a people of hope. We will continue to give the government the benefit of the doubt since they repeatedly tell us that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Despite insecurity, Ndagoso reported progress in restarting the minor seminary in Katari for the 2023/24 academic year, with 106 students in JSS 1–3 and SS1.
“Using the proceeds of 2024 cathedraticum, we were able to renovate and reconstruct all the classrooms and the admin block and put together other essential amenities,” he said, expressing hope to expand if security improves.
He praised the outgoing Laity Council’s leadership, noting 10,343 baptisms, 7,149 first Holy Communions, 2,550 Confirmations, and 941 marriages (756 between Catholics, 185 with non-Catholics) in the past year. Ndagoso thanked the Dogon Kurmi and Gujeni Deaneries for their support in sustaining the seminary.