Stop the Killings, Archbishop Okeke Tells Tinubu

By Jude Atupulazi

Alarmed by the spate of killings in the country, the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese, Most Rev Valerian Okeke, has called on Nigeria’s President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to urgently evolve mechanisms to end the killings.

This is even as the Archbishop called on Christians to turn to God in prayer, while enjoining priests and the religious to set aside special days for prayers and fasting to restore peace and security in the troubled areas of the country.

The Prelate condemned what he called the gruesome massacre of innocent citizens in some parts of the country, especially in Benue State, where, he said, suspected herdsmen had gone uncontrollably wild in killing defenceless people. He urged President Tinubu to respond swiftly to the cries of citizens, while calling on Nigerians to continue praying against the spilling of blood.

He described the killings as inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the sanctity and dignity of human life across the country.

‘In many parts of Nigeria today, many people are living in constant fear due to insecurity. I call on the Nigerian government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to immediately devise security strategies in order to put an end to the almost daily bloodletting in different parts of our country.

‘I will also demand the government to rise to their principal duty of restoring security, justice and peace in Nigeria. As a spiritual leader of the people of God, I will call on all men and women of goodwill, especially the Christian folk in Nigeria, to turn to God in prayers at this critical moment. God is our hope, and our hope cannot disappoint us,’ he said.