CBCN to Tinubu: Save Nigeria from collapse, end killings

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take urgent and decisive measures to rescue Nigeria from worsening insecurity, economic sabotage and democratic decline.

In a communiqué titled “Leadership for the Common Good” issued at the end of its First Plenary Meeting held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja, the bishops said poor leadership and a distorted understanding of politics were at the root of the nation’s afflictions.

The communiqué was signed by the outgoing CBCN President, Lucius Ugorji, and outgoing Secretary, Donatus Ogun.

While endorsing the President’s declaration of a national security emergency and the recruitment of more security personnel, the bishops said the situation on the ground remained dire.

“We continue to experience tragic events of senseless massacre, mass burials, endless tears and grief. In all, the gunmen operate brazenly, freely and unchallenged,” the communiqué stated.

The bishops cited reported killings in Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State, as well as repeated attacks across the North and Middle Belt, displacing farmers and leaving communities in fear.

They called for heavy investment in modern surveillance technology, improved intelligence gathering and the swift prosecution of terrorists and their sponsors.

“There is the impression that government is complicit when there is delay in the prosecution of arrested terrorists or when there is outright pardon and reintegration of so-called repentant adherents and other criminals into the security forces,” the bishops warned.

They also urged Nigerians not to lose hope, insisting that a better country was possible if leaders embraced accountability and selfless service.