.Seek declaration of killer herdsmen as terrorists
.Say govt has failed
By Valentine Amanze
Archbishop of Catholic Church Lagos Archdiocese, Archbishop Adewale Martins, has condemned the high level of insecurity and killings in Nigeria.
He also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to take proactive measure immediately to stop the era of violence in the country.
Martins made the appeal in his homily during the requiem mass at St Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos for the two Catholic priests, Rev Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha; and 17 other parishioners killed by herdsmen in an early hour attack on St Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor, Mbalom in Gwer West Local Government Council of Benue State in April 24, 2018.
The archbishop wondered why the killer herdsmen had not been either arrested or declared a terror group, declaring it as failure of government to protect its citizens.
He condemned the Federal Government’s nonchalant attitude to security of lives and properties in the country.
He said that even the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s promise to upgrade the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Benue State had not been fulfilled.
He asked: “What happens to the people’s livestock, farms, buildings destroyed by the killer herdsmen? When will the owners be compensated?
“What of their children and their future? How much will be compensated to thousands of of people murdered by the herdsmen?”
He also faulted the Federal Government excuse of inadequate manpower in the military and the Police as reason for insecurity. He wondered how the nation’s soldiers who are rated high in international peacekeeping operations could not perform at hope.
He also asked: “What is happening with intelligence gathering which could help the security operatives work effectively?”
Photo: Val Amanze
He also appealed to Christians to intensify prayers and not to lose hope in God, while offering prayers for the parishioners, who were killed during the attacks, and asked for the forgiveness of their sins.
The crowd, which converged on St Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja later matched to the Government House Alausa to drop their protest letter to the state governor.
It would be recalled that Rev. Fr. Gor had before the attack written on Facebook; “Living in fear. The fulani herdsmen are still around us in Mbalom. They refuse to go. They still go grazing around us. No weapons to depend on ourselves”.
Meanwhile, requiem masses were held in all parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi on Monday for the murdered priests and parishioners of Saint Ignatius Quasi Parish, Mbalom in Gwer Local Government Council of the state.
