The Methodist Church of Nigeria’s Calabar Synod has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to promptly enhance the capabilities of police personnel to effectively address the rising incidence of ritual killings and the broader issue of insecurity facing the nation.
They urged governments at all levels to strengthen state resources to combat the ongoing bloodshed caused by indiscriminate killings, vandalism, and the looting of national assets.
The Synod expressed grave concern over the resurgence of pagan practices and the alarming frequency of innocent individuals being sacrificed for financial gain by malevolent actors across the country.
Rt Rev Otuekong Ukut PhD, Chairman of the 3rd Annual Synod of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Diocese of Atamunu Calabar, emphasised these concerns during a discussion on the national situation in Calabar yesterday.
He lamented that innocent victims had been murdered as sacrifices in money-making rituals, with perpetrators falsely believing that such acts would lead to wealth through organ harvesting and trafficking.
The Synod issued a 10-point communiqué, signed by Rt Rev Otuekong Ukut PhD, Synod Secretary Very Rev Anthony Essien, and Lay President Sir Dr Gabriel Inyang, calling for an immediate strengthening of law enforcement agencies to improve the investigation and prosecution of ritual killers.
They urged the Nigerian police to enhance their personnel’s skills, prioritise intelligence gathering, and work to dismantle networks involved in ritual killings.
The clerics also called upon President Tinubu to tackle root causes such as poverty and inequality by implementing policies that provide social safety nets for vulnerable populations.
The Synod encouraged churches and Christians to engage in prayer, remain vigilant, and actively evangelise to lead perpetrators towards repentance.
Additionally, they highlighted other pressing issues requiring governmental attention, including interreligious relations, ecclesiastical concerns, national restructuring, economic conditions, judicial reforms, the state of Cross River, and the rehabilitation of the Calabar-Itu road, among others.
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