The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria has issued an urgent appeal to the federal government following a surge in violence that claimed more than 160 lives in coordinated attacks across multiple states in late January and early February.
In a statement released Saturday, the organization condemned what it described as a failure to protect citizens from escalating violence that has devastated communities in Kwara, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna, and Borno states.
“After years of repeated complaints and unfulfilled promises, violence persists unchecked, leaving communities devastated and citizens weary of empty condolences,” said Very Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.
The statement highlighted a January attack in Woro, Kwara State, where over 160 civilians were killed in what church officials called a coordinated assault. Additional attacks in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger State, along with violence targeting farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, have intensified concerns about civilian safety.
The Catholic Secretariat called on authorities to redeploy security forces from administrative duties to active protection of vulnerable communities, identify and prosecute those funding violence, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and provide relief and compensation to affected families.
Citing Nigeria’s commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, church leaders emphasized that the right to life requires urgent government action beyond expressions of sympathy.
The organization urged political, religious, and community leaders to work collaboratively toward restoring peace and called on Nigerians to reject violence and support one another during this crisis.
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