The Catholic Bishops’ protest

The recent protest by Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops and other Catholic faithful in Abuja demonstrates the widespread sense of helplessness over the worsening insecurity and violence in the country. During the March 1, 2020 protest, the bishops decried the brutal killing of innocent Nigerians and the rising insecurity in the country. They also called on the Federal Government to urgently stop the human carnage in the country.

According to the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Augustine Obiora Akubueze, “we are protesting against the brutal killing of innocent Nigerians by Boko Haram and terrorists herdsmen…We are gathered to mourn the women, children, babies and men who have been killed by the terrorists.”

The Archbishop also noted: “We are gathered to let the Federal Government of Nigeria know that we are tired of hearing from them that Boko Haram has been ‘technically defeated’ even when they still attack with impunity…The failure to protect innocent people from relentless attacks is evil. The lack of prosecution of terrorists is evil.”

The Catholic Bishops equally observed: “Your silence is breeding and sowing seeds of mistrust and the longer it stays this way, the more you lose those who could have given you the benefit of doubt.” There is no doubt that through the protest, the Catholic bishops and the faithful have sent a message to the government to rise to the occasion and stop the killings by the terrorists and criminals in the country.

That the nation has been under unrelenting and frightening siege for more than a decade is beyond question. Rather than abate, it is escalating. A day hardly passes without depressing stories of destruction and bloodshed perpetrated by these men.

It is sad that the Federal Government has not come to terms with the rising insurgency despite the fact that it is its constitutional duty to protect life and property of all Nigerians.

Therefore, the protest march should serve as a wake-up call on the government and the security agents to come up with new strategies to defeat the terrorists and other criminals operating across the country. The government can enlist the support of friendly foreign countries to overcome the terrorists.

We commend the Catholic Bishops for their courage in making the protest. It shows that they understand the burden of service to humanity which their calling as reverend ministers of God places on their shoulders.  It is good that the Bishops and the faithful carried out the protest. We applaud their courage and commitment.

These are indeed trying times for the nation.  Never in the nation’s almost 60 years history, not even during the 30- month  fratricidal Nigerian Civil War has the nation been seized by the prevailing bloodletting. Women, babies, children have not been spared, even as the nation’s leadership regales the people with tales that the security forces are on top of the situation or that Boko Haram has been technically defeated.

The action of the Bishops reflects the mood of the nation. Their protest has the capacity of drawing the attention of the government and the international community to the plight of Christians targeted by terrorists. We recall that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria ordered Catholics nationwide to wear black attire or black arm bands on this year’s Ash Wednesday, which was celebrated on February 26, 2020.

It is painful that the sorry state of the nation’s insecurity has forced the Bishops, often reputed for their prayerful stance on issues, to take on activist role. We also urge the Federal Government and the security agencies to deploy intelligence and other pragmatic strategies to defeat the insurgents.

The ongoing bloodletting and the lamentations must stop. There should be an end to the war against insurgents. It should not be made to last for a longer time than necessary.