Take Responsibility For Stabilising Nigeria, Catholic Bishops Tell Buhari

• Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu (retd.), to take full responsibility for stabilising

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to take full responsibility for stabilising the country and restoring confidence in his ability to lead it away from the crisis plaguing the nation.

The clerics made this known in a statement titled ‘Forging a path away from chaos to peace,’ and made available to Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, while reacting to the killing of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, as well as the violence and destruction of property by hoodlums in several parts of the country.

Read Also: Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Feeling ‘Fantastic’ After Heart Surgery

Thousands of youths had, in the preceding two weeks, taken to the streets to protest against police brutality, while making other demands.

In the statement signed by the CBCN President and Catholic Bishop of Benin City, Edo State, Augustine Akubeze; and Camillus Umoh, the bishops said a simple threat analysis of the protests would have revealed certain predictable scenarios which a responsible government, committed to the fine principles of the freedoms enshrined in Nigeria’s democracy, would have sought to control.

While condemning the killing of unarmed youths in Lagos, they stated that the recent address by the President was “at best, a small step in the right direction” as it was evident that the fundamental issues had yet to be addressed.

The Catholic bishops said it was clearly in the interest of the Federal Government, and of the entire nation, to ensure that the youths were not turned against each other and to forestall the issue from further degenerating into ethnic and religious crisis.

The statement read in part, “Sadly, in the last few days, we have all watched as certain youth groups, some alleged to be sponsored by the government or its sympathisers, infiltrated the group of peaceful protesters and openly dared and threatened to visit violence on protesters and disrupt their gathering.

“All lives remain sacrosanct. It is our hope that the government will do all in its power to investigate these killings with a view to bringing those who are culpable to account, without any long delay.

Source: Punch