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“It’s a pity”: Nigeria Catholic Bishops’ Conference President on Insecurity, Says “government appears to be helpless”

By Abah Anthony John

Abuja, 01 November, 2024 / 8:36 pm (ACI Africa).

The challenge of security in the West African nation of Nigeria, including abductions, the most recent being that of Fr. Thomas Oyode, is pitiable, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has said. 

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of his courtesy visit to the recently appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Nigeria on October 30, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji weighed in on situation of insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and challenged the government to play its “primary” role of securing the people of God in Nigeria.

Reacting to the kidnapping of the Fr. Oyode, the Rector of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Auchi, who was taken away during evening Prayer and Benediction at the Church institution in Edo State on October 27, Archbishop Ugorji said, “It’s a pity that such is happening. The government appears to be helpless in providing security.” 

This seeming failure on the part of the Nigerian government to provide security not only affects citizens but also the overall stability and welfare of the country, he lamented.

“A government that is not able to secure (and) provide safety for its citizens in a way has failed, because it’s part and parcel of what it means to be in government,” the Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri said.

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He went on to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government “to rise to its primary obligation of providing security for its citizens.”

Archbishop Ugorji extended his appeal to the kidnappers, asking them to “have a human heart” and to reconsider their abduction methods and how they treat their abductees.

“You kidnap people, you keep them hungry, you torture them just in order to get money,” the CBCN President lamented. 

Governing a country devoid of security drives away investors and worsens the phenomenon of mass emigration, often referred to as the “Japa syndrome”, he lamented, and urged the Nigerian government to address underlying issues that drive individuals into criminality, including unemployment and drug abuse.

“A good number of people take to kidnapping because of hard drugs. I think more needs to be done to curb the influence of narcotics within the country,” Archbishop Ugorji told ACI Africa during the said.

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He expressed his awareness of the fact that the Nigerian government is “doing quite a lot to control the peddling of hard drugs.”

Still, he insisted, the government “has to do more because if it is possible to seal the link, people will be safer in their relationship with other people.”

The 72-year-old Nigerian Archbishop, who has been at the helm of Owerri Archdiocese since June 2022 enjoined Catholics to continue to pray that the Kidnapped Minor Seminary Rector is “released safe and sound” and that the family and community is comforted in this challenging situation. 

Meanwhile, the Director of Communications for Auchi Diocese, Fr. Peter Egielewa, has urged the public to disregard rumours on social media claiming that Fr. Oyode had been released.

“We request all people of goodwill to disregard the purported release of Fr. Thomas Oyode in several audio messages on social media. Unfortunately, Fr. Oyode is still in the hands of his abductors,” Fr. Egielewa told ACI Africa on October 30. 

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He appealed for spiritual solidarity, saying, “The Diocese of Auchi is praying and urging the abductors to set Fr. Oyode free and unharmed. We appeal for continuous prayers for his quick release from his abductors.”

Abah Anthony John

Abah Anthony John is a Nigerian Journalist with great enthusiasm and interest for Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria. He has vast experience in Print,  Electronic and Multi-Media Production.