Catholic Bishops have accused the Nigerian government of failing in its responsibility to protect citizens across the country.
The clerics under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) decried the incessant killings of Nigerians in states like Benue, Plateau and others.
Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, the President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, in a statement issued on Friday said the government has abdicted its primary responsibility.
Ugorji said both governments at the Federal level and the Benue State government have not shown the capacity to protect lives and property of the people.
Stating that the gruesome killings of people in their homes are heartbreaking, Ugorji said such acts are barbaric.
He also noted the incidents in Benue have left hundreds of households homeless, children orphaned and women widowed.
Ugorji said several families have been subjected to immense pain and abandoned in their anguish.
He described the happenings in the state as a stain on the entire humanity of people and a stark reminder of the level of breakdown of law and order in the Nigerian State.
“It said no matter how well a government pays salaries or builds roads, its failure to protect human lives renders its achievements hollow, adding that the sanctity of human life is supreme,” Ugorji stated.
On behalf of CBCN, Ugorji further called for urgent and decisive action from relevant authorities at the national and sub-national levels to bring the criminals to justice and restore peace in Benue.
Ugorji added, “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.”
