CATHOLIC BISHOPS TO BUHARI: Those who fail to protect God’s children are as evil as those killing them

Catholic bishops have declared to the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari that the killing of God’s children is evil, likewise the failure to protect innocent people from the relentless attacks by Boko Haram insurgents.

The Catholic Bishops made the declaration on Sunday when they took to the streets in their numbers in Abuja to protest the serial killings of Nigerians by Boko Haram terrorists and kidnappers.

Archbishop Augustine Akubueze, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria said that Nigerians were tired of the serial claims by Buhari’s government that Boko Haram, which had continued to kill innocent Nigerians, had been technically defeated.

Akubueze who led the protesters including members of their congregations, all dressed in black, on a peaceful march from the Ecumenical Centre to the Our Lady Queen of Nigeria in Area 3, accused the Federal Government of being insensitive to the plights of victims of insurgency.

He said, “The killing of God’s children is evil; the failure to protect innocent people from the relentless attacks is evil, the lack of prosecution of terrorists is evil, our government’s response to terrorist attack is, for lack of better words, far below average.

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“There have been too many mass burials, too many kidnappings of schoolchildren, travelers, invasion of people’s homes, invasion of sacred places like churches, mosques, seminaries.

“Your silence is sowing and breeding seeds of mistrust and the longer it stays this way, the more you lose those who could have given you the benefit of the doubt. As things stand now, it appears only a few Nigerians can defend you with reasons, only a few Nigerians can argue that your silence is not an endorsement of the barbaric actions of the terrorists and criminals.

“We cannot understand why the government’s reaction to the beheading of Rev. Lawan Andimi (Michika LG CAN chairman) has not shown that there is going to be any consequences for those responsible.

“Nigerians are tired of reading of such killings as that of an orphan seminarian who was just 18 years old and of a young wife and mother. Nigerians are tired of hearing of the inexcusable actions of the government in their response to these and many other sad cases.

“As we match, pray and protest today, we want all Catholics in Nigeria not to be hopeless, we want Catholics and other well-meaning patriotic Nigerians to stand together and fight this terrorism.”

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