By Onwukwe Ezeru
The Catholic Diocese of Umuahia Tuesday joined its counterparts in Nigeria to protest the killing of two of its priests and 17 other parishioners in Benue State.
Addressing members of Abia State Catholic community at St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church Umuahia after the diocesan rally to denounce the senseless killing in Nigeria, the Bishop of Umuahia His Lordship Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji said: “Today Catholics in Nigeria are mourning the two priests of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Rev. Fr. Joseph Gor and Rev. Fr. Felix Tyolaha, and 17 of their parishioners, who were brutally murdered last month at St. Ignatius Church Mbalon Benue State. They are being buried today in Makurdi.
“We are united in spirit and prayer with the Diocese of Makurdi as they bury them. May the souls of these martyrs and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace! We are holding this rally today to vehemently protest their killing and also to strongly denounce the senseless killing of thousands of people in Nigeria by the Boko Haram adherents, the so called Fulani herdsmen or terrorists and by other unscrupulous groups or individuals.
“We wish to stress the sanctity and inviolability of human life. The life of every individual whether Christian or Muslim, whether believer or unbeliever, whether rich or poor, whether powerful or powerless, whether man or woman, whether old or young, whether born or unborn is sacred. This is because every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). Man’s worth as the bearer of God’s image and likeness imposes on us the duty to cherish, preserve and protect life.
“On account of the priceless worth of human life, God thus enjoins us: “Thou shall not kill” (Ex 20:13) “You must not put the innocent and just to death” (Dan 13:53). Indeed God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Prov. 6:17).
“Since life is a priceless gift from God, every individual has a fundamental right to life. The United Nations in 1948 in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Act. 3 upholds the right of each person to life. Likewise, the 1989 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in its fourth Chapter on Fundamental Human Rights Act. 32 subsection 1 declares: “Every person has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of life, except in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect to a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.
“Whenever the right to life is violated anywhere in the country, it is a threat everywhere in our nation. With the incessant shedding of blood by the Boko Haram adherents and the Fulani terrorists, the life of every Nigerian is threatened. We are insecure and unsafe in our homes, places of worship, places of work and business, our streets and highways. We feel insecure everywhere in this nation. We are worried that innocent people are killed and no one is arrested or brought to book. “Kill” and “go” seems to be the norm in the country at present. Sources of livelihood – shops, farmlands and crops – are destroyed and security agents turn a blind eye to all these. What a country! We should be aware that the world is watching. Above all, God is watching.
“We are particularly saddened by the recent happenings in Iheosu in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State. This poor community has been invaded by the marauding neighbours from Cross River State. Its inhabitants have been sacked, many killed, their houses and churches destroyed. Those lucky to escape are in need of shelter, food, clothing and so on. Their children are out of school. How long are they to remain in this state of deprivation? What is being done to rehabilitate them and them return to their home, which they cherish so much?
“We do not need to stress that it is the fundamental duty of government to protect the lives and property of its citizens. A government that fails to do this has failed its people. A government that fails its citizens in providing security of life and property is encouraging them to fall back on self-help, namely it is encouraging them to exercise their right of self-defence.
“We have been dissuading our people from self-help because this will spell doom for the nation. However, if these senseless killings continue and government continues to renegade on its duty of providing security of life and property, I wonder how far and how long we can continue to succeed in restraining our people from falling back on self-help to defend their lives and property. Let us continue to pray that it does not come to this. May God help to have to security we desire and deserve in this nation!”.
Also the representative of the Catholic Men Organization (CMO), Bob Amanze, recommended the following to end the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
“The UDCCMO, Umuahia Diocese in this solemn assembly in honour of our fallen Christian Heroes Massacred by Fulani Herdsmen namely Rev. Fr. Joseph Gor, Rev. Fr. Felix Tyolaha and the 17 worshippers of St. Ignatius Parish Ukpo-Mbalom, Benue State” wish to recommend as follows: “That the CBCN should as a matter of urgent Religious and Public importance lead a powerful delegation to the Vatican to draw the attention of it to the effect that the Nigerian Government under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch has made Christians to lose confidence in his government as a result of wanton killings of innocent people by Fulani Herdsmen.
“That the CBCN should lead another delegation to the Catholic Bishops Conference of America to draw their attention to the picture of what is happening in Nigeria bringing to the fore the constant killings of Christians in the Northern part and the Middle Belt of Nigeria which may in turn lead to the eventual Islamization of Nigeria. They must push forward the case against the Fulani Herdsmen terrorists’ killings of Nigerian Christians to American President Donald Trump and members of the congress.
“Again, the CBCN delegation to US Catholic Bishops Conference is expected to present to president Trump the list of all the political prisoners in Nigeria today under Buhari’s lopsided government and one sided fight against corruption. The list of prisoners to be released must include those of Igbo Youths, IPOB members arrested in Port-Harcourt in January, 2016 when they were celebrating the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new president of America. Up till now, these Igbo Youths are still languishing in various prisons and nobody cares.
“That the CBCN delegation should move to Germany to prevail on the German Chancellor Mrs. Merkel, her government and the people of Germany to stop selling ammunition to the government of Buhari because the Nigerian military uses these ammunitions to kill Nigerian Christians and innocent citizens instead of the Boko Haram they pretend to be fighting.
“That the CBCN should send a delegation to the United Nations Organization (UNO) Secretary-General in New York and also to the UN Human Right office in Geneva, Switzerland for the same reason.
“That the CBCN should establish a liaison office in the Vatican which will co-ordinate information on what the Nigerian Christians are passing through in Nigeria under President Buhari’s watch. They will further co-ordinate things between the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria on these international initiations for the survival of Christianity in Nigeria.
“Finally, today in Nigeria, as recent events have shown, the church is under threat comparable to the type the decadent churches in North Africa suffered that quickened their demise under Arab Muslim onslaught and Jihad conquest of North Africa. All the churches in Nigeria should emulate the Catholic example and can still organize another week of procession under CBCN to press home our demands. This is the time we must reach out to all Super Powers of Christians inclination to come to our aid including the World Council of churches in Geneva”.
Also speaking the Chairperson of Catholic Women Organization Lady Gloria Kanu on behalf of the women condemned the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria.
“The insecurity situation of Nigeria became worst since after the Nigerian Civil War. In the past twenty years we have suffered from one form of insecurity to another which ranges from militancy where group of youths from Middle Belt and South South came together to vandalize the oil pipe lines within their areas, harassing and kidnapping the oil workers demanding for ransom before they were released or killed. Many oil workers and non-oil workers lost their lives during such encounters, making Nigeria insecure for foreign investors. Since then kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual killings, child tracking became lucrative and other of the day.
“As if this is not enough, another group came up who called themselves ‘Boko Haram’. This group move about with sophisticated weapons and centred their operation at the Northern part of Nigeria, killing innocent citizens of Nigeria, both Christians and Muslims, burning houses, churches and mosques, rendering many Nigerian homeless. They went to schools kidnapping school children as the case of Chibok Girls and others using them as wives, bed-mates, suicide bombers and so on. These have created fears in the minds of Nigerians living within those areas”.
“In recent times, the Fulani herdsmen now move about with machine guns to attack Christian churches, killing the worshippers and the clergy. For example the recent killings in Benue State were our two priests and members were murdered in cool blood as they were in their morning mass. Today we mourn the death of the priests and our members as they are being lowered to their final resting place. Please let us now bow our heads down in silent mediation in the honour of the deceased. May their souls rest in perfect peace.
“Our homes are no longer secured, our minds are not at rest and we are not protected. In our working places, no job security. In our schools, teachers and students carryout their normal school work with fear.
Our farm crops are being destroyed by Fulani herdsmen and their cows. In churches we worship in fear. Insecurity in Nigeria is on increase. Let us go down on our knees, call upon the Holy Trinity and our Mother Mary to give us security in Jesus name, Amen. Through Mary our Dearest Mother! We succeed!!”.
