From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Catholic Bishops under the umbrella of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have lambasted the Benue State Government for their inability to contain the growing number of deaths and losses as a result of growing activities of armed criminals.
The Bishops stated that there’s no justification for the continuous bloodletting in Benue State, saying it constitutes a grave moral and constitutional failure on the part of the government.
The Bishops also accused the federal government of doing little or nothing in ensuring that lasting peace returns to the warring communities in Benue State.
In a statement on Friday, the CBCN President, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji said the cold-blooded attacks on defenceless communities where countless have been slaughtered, homes destroyed, and families left in anguish are an affront to God, a stain on shared humanity, and a terrifying reminder of the utter breakdown of security in the land.
He said: “There is no justification whatsoever for the continuous bloodletting that has become the daily reality of many in Benue State and across Nigeria. The relentless attacks on innocent and defenceless communities under the watch of civil authorities constitute a grave moral and constitutional failure. Hence, this carnage must end.
“We recognise the efforts of the Benue State Government, especially in the areas of infrastructural development, the opening of impoverished neighbourhoods in Makurdi through road construction, the improved transportation system connecting surrounding villages to the capital and the consistent payment of salaries to civil servants between the 23rd and 25th of each month. These are commendable strides in governance.
“However, no matter how well a government pays salaries or builds roads, its failure to protect human lives renders its achievements hollow. The sanctity of human life is supreme. It is sacred. It is inviolable. Any government that fails to make the safety and protection of its citizens and their property its foremost priority abdicates its fundamental responsibility and moral legitimacy.”
The CBCN also commiserated with Niger State government on the flood that resulted in enormous loss of lives, injuries, displacements and destruction of homes and infrastructure in Mokwa and surrounding villages.