Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria plans nationwide march on May 22 to protest herdsmen killings

CLERGYMEN from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) plan to hold a nationwide march involving their faithful on May 22 to protest the killing of their members by Fulani cattle herdsmen.

Over recent years, Nigeria has been plagued by the menace of heavily-armed herdsmen attacking rural farming communities, slaughtering hundreds as they unleash mayhem. Despite the international outrage over the matter, the government has been loath to clampdown on the herdsmen, who appear to be well funded and furnished with AK47 assault rifles.

Recently, the herdsmen carried out a particularly brutal attack that resulted in the murder of the two priests and 17 parishioners during a morning mass at Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State. Exasperated with the menace, the CBCN has written to Pope Francis asking him to visit Nigeria to witness the killings and has now organised a march to coincide with their funeral.

After a meeting by the bishops yesterday, a CBCN spokesman said: “The CBCN has directed that every diocese in Nigeria should organise a peaceful demonstration/rally against the barbaric but intolerable killing of two priests and 17 others by herdsmen last month in Benue State. It will take place on May 22, 2018 at 10am, as the funeral of the innocent victims would be going on.

"Details of how this all important solidarity action will take place in our dioceses will be communicated through the parish priests. Every Christian and all men and women of goodwill are hereby called to participate.”

In the early hours of April 24, armed herdsmen stormed St Ignatius Catholic Church, in Ukpor-mbalom parish in Gwer East Local Government Area. Their attack came barely four days after the murder of  10 persons by herdsmen in neighbouring Guma Local Government Area and the destruction of  300 houses by military personnel in Naka, Gwer West Local Government Area of the state.

In Lagos, the archdiocese will hold a mass at St Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, after which there will be a peaceful procession from the church to the Lagos State governor’s Office at Alausa, Ikeja. Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins, the archbishop of Lagos, described the attack as one of the ugly incidences that call attention to the insecurity in the country and the failure on the part of the government to ensure the security of lives and properties of its citizens.

Meanwhile, the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty Professor James Ayatse, has said he would soon convene a peace meeting with the governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, and the chief of the army staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai to find a lasting solution to killings of Tiv people in both Benue and Nasarawa states. The Tor Tiv, who is the chairman of the Benue State Council of Chiefs, assured Tiv people in Nasarawa State that the traditional council would wade into their plight to bring the menace of herdsmen attacks on them to an end.