Attack on Jos Custodial Centre “unfortunate, frightening”: Christian Leaders in Nigeria

“This is because there are hardened criminals among inmates that fled; they will go back into the society and continue to unleash evil,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest said.

He called on the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to take measures to address the country’s challenge of insecurity.

“I wish to strongly call on the government to provide modern and adequate equipment to the service in order to avert a similar situation in the future,” Fr. Lubo said. 

The CAN chairman in Plateau State further called on residents of the Nigerian State “to be security conscious, particularly as yuletide approaches and report any suspicious activity within their vicinities to security agencies.”

Nigeria has been grappling with insecurity since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency began targeted attacks with the aim of turning Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic State.

More in Africa

Catholic Bishops Urge Sudanese to Learn “how to survive together”, to Reject Violence and Work for Peace

Read the article

Members of the Islamist group have been organizing random attacks on various targets including civilians, political and religious leaders.

In August, CAN leadership called on the government to go beyond statements and meetings and address the country’s challenge of insecurity or admit defeat and “throw in the towel.”

“Stopping killing of the innocent by the criminals cannot be done by merely issuing press statements and holding periodical meetings with the security chiefs by the president,” the Christian leaders said in the August 23 statement.

They added, “We charge the Federal Government to fix the security challenges or throw in the towel.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.