Designating bandits as terrorists not enough, clampdown on them, Ibadan Catholic Bishops tells FG

The Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province has asked the Federal Government to clampdown on bandits since they have been designated as a terrorist group.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the Bishops in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The communique which was signed by the Chairman, Most Rev ‘Leke Gabriel Abegunrin, and the Secretary, Most Rev John Akin Oyejola also expressed concern over the tons of weapons reportedly missing from the custody of the Nigerian Police Force.

“We reveal no secret by expressing our dismay at the continuing bloodshed in many parts of Nigeria.

“Recent revelations from the Auditor General of the Federation about tons of missing firearms from the Nigeria Police armoury and similar security gaffes give great cause for worry.

“So far, no adequate reassurances have been offered to the citizenry that such an unusual but not isolated issue is being addressed to prevent a reoccurrence.

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“That President Muhammadu Buhari recently finally recognised as terrorists, the band of murderers and arsonists causing mayhem all over the country is a huge relief.

“This new position can only be believed however if a tougher clampdown on such murderous and criminal activities all over the nation can be ensured.

“We encourage the security agencies, including the complementary outfits, to sustain their great work of securing the nation and implore the authorities to adequately support them,” the communique said.

In the forthcoming 2023 general election, the Bishops urged Nigerians to work together to elect a quality leader.

The communique said as a church, they do not engage in partisan politics but they endorse any candidate who professes and embodies positive values.

“It is obvious that there is a pervasive longing for a better Nigeria. With the time for national elections already on the horizon, we wish to urge all Nigerians to work more assiduously to be able to vote for quality leaders which Nigeria urgently needs at this period.

“It is our desire that pro-democracy groups within and outside the Church kindly help to educate and motivate our people for their civic duties. We urge that only leaders with positive values like proven integrity, truthfulness, trustworthiness and fear of God should be elected as our leaders when the time comes.

“As leaders of the Church, we remain non-partisan but we strongly advocate and endorse any candidate who professes and embodies positive values that can help our nation to develop strong and functional institutions as a framework for true democracy in our country,” the communique said.

On education in Nigeria, the Bishops said “we cannot express enough our concern about the state of education in Nigeria to which many solutions have been proffered with only limited implementation.

“The increasing level of drug addiction, armed robbery, rape, truancy and other crimes in our society cannot be totally divorced from the depressed system of education in our nation.

“We, therefore, urge government at all levels to adequately fund education in Nigeria, paying just wages and remunerations and providing necessary facilities for educational programmes.

“To continue with the current knee jerk attitude to some aspects of education in Nigeria is simply tantamount to mortgaging the future of our youths. One sure way to stem the slide in our education system is to return seized schools to former owners in order to enhance competition and private sector participation in our education with appropriate regulations.

“We congratulate State Governments that have returned schools to their former owners. Some governments that have done so are reaping positive rewards and their example deserves to be more widely emulated.

“We also need a positive reorientation of the mindset of the youth to open them more to taking good initiatives for their own empowerment.”