Officials at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the administrative headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, have denounced what they have described as a "relentless wave of killings and abductions" across the West African nation, warning that continued violence and impunity are turning the country into "a field of grief" and eroding the foundations of governance.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Feb. 7, and shared with ACI Africa — the sister service of EWTN News in Africa — CSN Secretary-General Father Michael Banjo and National Director of Social Communications Father Michael Nsikak Umoh expressed "profound outrage and sorrow at the ongoing assault on human life and dignity."
"After years of repeated complaints and unfulfilled promises, violence persists unchecked, leaving more communities devastated and citizens weary of empty condolences that do not guarantee their safety," the CSN officials said.
They lamented that the renewed cycle of mass violence "has turned our country into a field of grief."
"Nigeria cannot afford to normalize bloodshed or treat mass killings as routine tragedies," they emphasized in their one-page statement titled "The Cry of the Innocent: Stop This Slaughterhouse in Nigeria!"
Citing recent attacks between late January and early February, the Catholic officials questioned how such atrocities could be allowed to continue. "How can it be justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in one coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara state?" they wrote.
They also referred to "the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger state, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the ongoing violence in Borno."
"This is not 'instability' but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of every Nigerian's right to live in peace," the Nigerian Catholic officials added.
They went on to remind politicians that "the constitution is not a lofty document of ideals but a binding covenant with the people" and warned that "when citizens are slaughtered with impunity and communities live in perpetual fear, the very foundation of governance is undermined."
They added that "a government that struggles unsuccessfully to safeguard its people risks diminishing its moral authority to lead."
The CSN officials cautioned that "silence in the face of such horror as we now have in Nigeria can hardly escape being labeled as complicit," noting that "every unaddressed attack, every unpunished crime, and every unfulfilled promise deepens the wound of mistrust between the people and those entrusted with their protection."
Recalling Nigeria's international obligations, the Catholic priests emphasized that the country is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, both of which affirm the right to life as "fundamental and nonnegotiable."
Yet, they lamented that "the state continues to treat this right as optional, allowing bloodshed to persist unchecked."
The CSN officials also renewed their call to the federal government to revise its security strategy urgently.
Among their demands, the Catholic officials urged authorities to "intensify efforts in redeploying security forces strategically from ceremonial press centers to the actual front lines where citizens are under siege," to "identify, expose, and prosecute the sponsors and enablers of terror," and to "arrest and punish every perpetrator of violence; for impunity is nothing less than a license for further bloodshed."
They also called for concrete support for victims, urging the government to "provide urgent relief, psychosocial care, and compensation to victims and their families, while guarding and rebuilding destroyed communities to restore hope and dignity to the indigenes of the land."
"Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We cannot allow mass graves to define our national story. The blood of all innocent Nigerians cries out to heaven, and their memory must compel us to act with sincerity, courage, and compassion," the officials lamented.
Calling for unity, they appealed to "all leaders, political, religious, and community, to rise above division and work together to restore peace and dignity to our land," while urging Nigerians "to reject hatred and violence, and to stand firm in solidarity with one another."
"As a people of faith, we entrust our nation to God's mercy and pray for healing, justice, and reconciliation. May the sacrifice of the innocent not be in vain but inspire a renewed commitment to protect life and build a Nigeria where peace and justice reign," the officials said in their Feb. 7 statement shared with ACI Africa.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
