Stop Mass Killings, Abductions, Other Forms of Violence, Catholic Church Tells FG 

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Catholic Church in Nigeria has asked the federal government to urgently take measures to check the relentless wave of killings, abductions, and other forms of violence prevalent in the country.

The Church, through the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), admonished the federal government to arrest and punish perpetrators of the violence, kidnappings, and killings across the country, including their sponsors.

In a statement signed by CSN Secretary General, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, and the National Director of Social Communications, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh, the Church charged the government to seek assistance when necessary to contain the situation.

It said that the government should go beyond issuing condolences messages and intensify efforts by “redeploying security forces strategically from ceremonial press centres to the actual frontlines where citizens are under siege”.

It also called on all leaders – political, religious, and community – to rise above division and work together to restore peace and dignity to our land.

“Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) decries the relentless wave of killings and abductions that continue to plague our nation.

“After years of repeated complaints and unfulfilled promises, violence persists unchecked, leaving more communities devastated and citizens weary of empty condolences that do not guarantee their safety.

“This renewed cycle of mass violence has turned our country into a field of grief, and CSN expresses its profound outrage and sorrow at the ongoing assault on human life and dignity,” it said.

CSN lamented that between late January and February 2026, the recurring carnage has become almost unbearable and a stain on the conscience of our nation.

“How can it be justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in one coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara State?

“How do we explain the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger State, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the ongoing violence in Borno?

“This is not ‘instability’ but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of every Nigerian’s right to live in peace,” it added.

The Catholic Church said that any government that struggles unsuccessfully to safeguard its people risks diminishing its moral authority to lead.

It further said that when citizens were slaughtered with impunity, and communities lived in perpetual fear, the very foundation of governance was undermined.

According to CSN, silence in the face of such sorrowful incidents is no longer golden, warning that, ” every unaddressed attack, every unpunished crime, and every unfulfilled promise deepens the wound of mistrust between the people and those entrusted with their protection”.

“Nigeria cannot afford to normalise bloodshed or treat mass killings as routine tragedies.

“It is necessary to remind ourselves that Nigeria is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which affirm the right to life as fundamental and non-negotiable.

“Yet, the state continues to treat this right as optional, allowing bloodshed to persist unchecked”.

The Catholic Church further called on the federal government to be purposeful in revisiting its strategies.

The Church said the government should arrest and punish every perpetrator of violence and provide urgent relief, psychosocial care, and compensation to victims and their families.

“Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We cannot allow mass graves to define our national story. The blood of all innocent Nigerians cries out to heaven, and their memory must compel us to act with sincerity, courage, and compassion.

“The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria calls on all leaders, political, religious, and community, to rise above division and work together to restore peace and dignity to our land.

“We urge every Nigerian to reject hatred and violence, and to stand firm in solidarity with one another. As a people of faith, we entrust our nation to God’s mercy and pray for healing, justice, and reconciliation,” the Church said.