Msgr. Augustine Obiora Akubeze, Catholic Archbishop of Benin City and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, has said government response to insecurity in the country is unsatisfactory.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Archbishop Akubeze stated this in an interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), explaining the serious political problems arising from the current situation of insecurity in the country.
“Boko Haram attacks on Nigerians have continued for many years. Their religious extremist ideology is to make the whole of Nigeria an Islamic Republic. They resent and reject everything that is Western, except that they use Western-made guns and ammunition to attack innocent Nigerians.
“For the majority of Nigerians, the Government response has largely been unsatisfactory. As we speak, Leah Sharibu, who was taken captive by the Boko Haram and refused to renounce her Christian faith, is still being held.
“Only a few weeks ago, a local Government Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was beheaded by Boko Haram… he was killed simply because he was a Christian,” Akubeze stated.
Speaking on the current situation in Nigeria, the Archbishop said, “I really do not know if I will be able to paint the true picture of Nigeria to you and the world in just one interview. I must admit that I am going to try to do so, knowing that I risk doing a great disservice because of time constraint and the complexities with regards to the nature of Nigeria.
“The current situation in Nigeria reflects an unnecessary, unwarranted and self-inflicted tension. A politically polarized nation. Unfortunately, some of our political leaders have made and keep making decisions, statements, and appointments that make some Nigerians from some parts of the country question again and again the reason for the unity of the country.
“We live in a Nigeria where we have a Constitution that recognises the Federal Character principle, which means that in the administration of Federal Institutions there must be representation from every sector of the country. This was designed to make every Nigerian feel welcomed and to know that Nigeria belongs to everyone.
“In the face of the daunting challenge of a great insecurity previously never witnessed in Nigeria except during the civil war, the present Federal Government has decided to take a completely suspicious approach to appointments of people to sensitive positions.
“Virtually all the officials who advise the President are from the same Hausa-Fulani ethnic group. 95 percent of them are Muslims, in a country where there are about 50 percent Christians. The authority to provide leadership in the security sector is led by one religious sect, one ethnic group, in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation!
“We at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria have repeatedly spoken out against this attitude of the Federal Government. We have met the President and expressed our complete disapproval at this position and action of the Government”.
Commenting on the recent kidnapping of seminarians in Kaduna State by Boko Haram, and the subsequent killing of one of them, Michael Nnadi, Akubeze said, “We heard the news with sadness in our hearts. The kidnapping of the seminarians unfortunately comes amidst the kidnapping of priests and religious by the same group of people who are terrorising Nigerians. Too many priests and religious have been kidnaped in the recent past. The seminarians who were released, I understand are presently receiving treatment.
“As to their specific health conditions I am not able to speak about that. But suffice to say, from the stories we have heard from those held in captivity, there is no doubt that the young men would have been greatly distressed and traumatized. We are pained and sad at the killing of Michael Nnadi. And to know that he was an orphan is more painful. May his soul and the souls of all who have died in the hands of these criminals rest in peace”.
When asked if the government was doing enough to protect Christians, he said, “The President of Nigeria recently stated that he was shocked at the unabated killing of Nigerians, who are mostly Christians. Many Nigerians wonder whether the President lives in a parallel universe. How can he be surprised at this time?
“After some of us have attended mass burials of Christians killed by Boko Haram? The Government is certainly not doing enough to protect both Christians and Muslims. A few days ago, the National Assembly unanimously moved that the President change the officials because they are not providing sufficient security for the lives of Nigerians.
“This legislative arm of the Government has a majority of the ruling party as members. This speaks to the fact that Nigerians are dissatisfied with the level of incompetency shown by the Government of Nigeria with regards to protecting lives and properties.
“We at the CBCN already stated in our communique that a Government that is incapable of fulfilling the constitutional obligation to secure lives and properties of Nigeria will gradually lose legitimacy.
On what public places are doing to provide security, Archbishop Akubeze said, “Every institution is trying to provide security in these places of worship. Based on local intelligent reports the religious leaders are responding to the needs of their people. There are some churches that request the services of the Nigerian Police for Sunday worship and have to pay for the security provided for them.
“There are others who contract private security outfits. In some cases, the faithful themselves volunteer to provide security. It depends on the particular area. There is presently no homogeneous description of security plans for places of worship and seminaries. Most of the privately contracted security agencies are not well armed to be able to deal with the level of threat posed by herdsmen and Boko Haram”.
