Insecurity: Nigeria Not Enforcing Law To Stop Killings, Says Pope’s Envoy

The Head of Catholic Church in Nigeria,(Papal Nuncio), Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, has expressed worry over the incessant killings in Kaduna State and other northern states in Nigeria.

While urging the Federal Government to stop the killings, he said, ‘ there’s too much violence in Nigeria and the law seems not enforced.”

He said this while briefing journalists at Our Lady and St. Kizito Pastoral Center, Ede, Osun State on Tuesday.

Responding to questions on killings in Southern Kaduna, he said Christians were being killed in the area while Muslims were also being killed especially by the Boko Haram insurgents in parts of the North.

The Pope’s envoy stated that security of lives and property was the reponsibility of.the government but lamented that it seemed the law was not being enforced in the country.

He said, “The killing is not only in Southern Kaduna, but the whole northern region is also affected by these killings. Although Southern Kaduna is an area where Christians and Catholics are in larger number.

“It is important to note that many Muslims are killed in the other parts of the North like Maiduguri where Boko Haram insurgents bomb mosques. We should not be particular that only Christians are being killed, Muslims are also victims.

“What is the state doing to ensure the security of lives and properties of the people? This is the mission of the state and we have to stop to put away the problems in terms of the antagonism between Christians and the Muslims.

“This should not be the point, the point is that there is too much violence in Nigeria and law seems not able to be enforced to bring the people to respect the law, to respect the life and the properties of everybody. Everybody has to respect the law, life and properties of one another.”

The Bishop, Catholic Diocese Osogbo, Most Rev. John Oyejola, said the diocese spent over N14 million to feed the needy during the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.