“This murder shows that far more must be done. Ritual killings, abductions, murders, lynching, kidnappings, armed robberies still increase the bloody tally of innocent deaths day by day. “All these go on while many of our leaders and people in power tweak their fingers, feign deaf and dumb or worse still continue with their macabre rallies and dance merely jostling for positions and privileges. “God is not amused and judgment will come. I call on President Buhari, and our leaders in the Federal Government and State Governments to wake up, sit up and act up.”
This is the assertion of Most Rev. (Dr.) Emmanuel Adetoyose Badejo, Bishop of Oyo that vividly described the worrisome state of increasing and widespread insecurity which leaves no one in doubt that the country is under siege. Bishop Badejo made this statement while delivering his homily entitled “The scandal of Nigeria: Salvation in Jesus crucified” as tears flowed at the Funeral Mass for 22 of the over 40 victims murdered by terrorists at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State on June 5 this year. The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu in company of his wife, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu at the Mass held on Friday, June 17, 2022 at Owo, attested to the fact that the government failed to protect its citizens. “We have failed to defend these people. Not because we have not tried, but because these forces on the other side are evil and they have supports. They will not triumph over us forever,” he said. The Governor stressed, “When I see the sea of heads that are here it speaks volumes. What has happened to us in Owo in Ondo state is indescribable.
A lot of words are used to qualify it; dastardly, horrendous. I still believe there are words to use to describe it, but I am still short of those words. “We have just 22 (deceased) in this hall. A few of them have been buried because the relatives couldn’t wait till today. But as at the last count, these animals came to the Church and murdered 40 people.” The Governor further concurred with Bishop Badejo as he noted that something must be done in the country, adding that the security architecture of the nation needed to be rejigged. The fact that no arrest has been made since the barbaric and gruesome event, almost three weeks ago, is equally worrisome as it lends credence to claims by many on complicity on the part of government and the country’s security personnel. Is the country’s security architecture so porous and unreliable that killers in Owo would simply evaporate after committing such inhuman act? Nigerians keep reiterating in worry.
Speaking further, Bishop Badejo asked, “I ask again: “How many more must die”? “Does life really have any value any more with you”? Are we to believe that insurgents, bandits, Boko Haram, ISWAP and murderous herdsmen are more powerful than the Federal government of Nigeria? Is the glaring weakness and helplessness of all our security agencies real or deliberate? The Bishop of Oyo stated that the people can no longer afford the luxury of indifference and called out on the authorities to act swiftly to stop the killings and bloodshed. He said, “So many have cried out in frustration for a review of the security apparatus of our country. I urge leaders at every level to listen to the cry for help of the people they claim to serve, shun discrimination and hypocrisy and do their duty to secure life and property. Why, even God Almighty listens to us in our distress.
Death occurs in any organism when the lower order dominates the higher one. One wonders whether the lower order of lawlessness and crime has not already dominated the higher order of the rule of law and governance and begun to strangulate this beloved country of ours. The present situation must not continue that people may not resort to self-help and kill this country entirely.” Bishop Badejo noted that in the Catholic Church teaching, there exists a moral principle and right to self defense which does not mean aggression and is justly mitigated by public security.
According to him, “Life is God’s most precious gift and by that token it must be defended in the face of unprovoked aggression and imminent danger to life. The authentic Christian is pro-life. Because he chooses and defends life, the Christian knows he/she is called to “love thy neighbour as you love yourself” and so does all in his power to reject violence. Like every citizen, he is called to respect the right to life. “In this context, the right to self-defense remains an important Christian value, an integral part of Catholic teachings which in times like this cannot be jettisoned (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn.2261-2265). “I see as a corollary of the self-defense principle that we Nigerians must take our country back to the path of righteousness.
We must agree with George Orwell who once said: “A people that elect corrupt politicians, impostors, thieves and traitors and keep them in power are not victims but accomplices”. “Let us all perform our civic duties with honesty and sincerity. In reality we all need two PVCs to be good citizens namely: The Permanent Voters’ Card for voting during elections and the Positive Verifiable Character that gives you integrity and trustworthiness, qualifying you for good citizenship and heaven. Work hard for both and put both to good use. While receiving a delegation of Ondo Province, Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of Ondo Province and Bishop of Akure Diocese, Simeon Borokini, who were on condolence visit, Governor Akeredolu assured that efforts would be made to prevent such calamity from happening again. “It has happened and there is nothing we can do, but we will work to prevent this sort of calamity from happening again. “Like I have been saying, we have come to this country in peace. We have never gone out of our place to go and cause havoc in any place. It has never happened. We have come to this country in peace and let them leave us in peace”.
He urged all Church leaders to install CCTV cameras in their Churches and also engage security men to man their Churches as part of security measures across the state. In another vein, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has said that terrorists responsible for the latest deadly terror attack targeted at worshippers at the Catholic Church may never be arrested by the Federal Government. HURIWA alleged a cover-up by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government which had come out to blame ISWAP for the attack in a clear contradiction to claims by some of the survivors who had pointed to Fulani terrorists as the masterminds. HURIWA also condemned the President for failing to visit the scene of the Catholic Church attack in Ondo State, and particularly for not honouring the victims with his presence at their burial a few days back.
It stated that the fact that the dominant members of the Security Council under the Buhari administration are Muslims and the unfortunate fact that one hundred percent of the heads of internal security institutions such as Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration, Nigeria Customs Service, Department of State Services and the Nigeria Intelligence Agency are Muslim Northerners and mostly Fulanis, makes it practically impossible for this government to be transparent and accountable. HURIWA in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said the attack at the Catholic Church in Owo is only one out of the over three dozen of such incidents. The rights group asked Nigerians to demand accountability from the Federal Government on why it has failed woefully to protect innocent Nigerians and especially Christians. “The citizens must demand to know why there are no efforts by the Central government to punish terrorists but each time these terrorists attack soft targets, the Federal Government will go on overdrive attempting to spread confusion and lies so as to hide the identity of the killers,” the group said. “We must bear in mind that the Ondo State Governor Mr. Akeredolu, who noted that the Federal Government’s conclusion was too hasty, said he took the conclusion with a pinch of salt, adding that ISWAP members were known to take responsibility for their attacks.
“The painful reality is that the President has a notoriety for shielding his kinsmen from all sorts of accusations, even without any forensic investigation to back up the claims by the Federal Government. “President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has backed Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association when the Ondo State Governor expelled armed Fulani terrorists from Ondo Forests and Miyetti said it won’t respect the State Government and the government in Abuja backed Miyetti. So why is this same Presidency playing hide-and-seek when those attacked but survived mentioned the ethnicity of their attackers and one of the eye witnesses even interacted with one of them who spared her life miraculously?” HURIWA said the only way to combat these terrorists is for President Muhammadu Buhari to rejig the service Chiefs and especially the heads of the internal security institutions to balance up the character of the holders to change from the Northern Fulani Moslem character to Federal Character.
Most Rev. (Dr.) Jude Arogundade, Bishop of Ondo Diocese at the Funeral Mass wondered why the people of the country need to beg for state police, despite the endless attack and killings. Some stakeholders have proffered that at the local level, communities must be security conscious; Churches and Mosques must put measures in place to make things difficult for terrorists; Churches in particular because they are the main targets should take precautionary measures.
