Catholic Faithful Protests Insecurity in Nigeria. AWC too.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria(CBCN) has called on Christian faithful to wear black, or at least black armbands as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes, on ash Wednesday. The first day of the Lenten season.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has also thrown its weight behind the Catholic Bishops.

A statement by the President of the  CBCN, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze invited  Christian faithful to join to join a “Day of Prayer Procession” to kick off the Lenten season, to protest the state of insecurity in the country while 

describing the procession as a part of the Church’s moral responsibility.

The march, scheduled for Ash Wednesday, is against “the repeated barbaric executions of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group.”

The statement condemned the public show of impunity by the perpetrators of these crimes on social media, the constant threats to many communities, and the lack of arrests of the criminals by the government.

No peace/growth without Security

Emphasizing the importance of peace, the statement reads: “May we, once again, remind all the arms of the government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace, and without peace, there can be no development or national growth.”

The CBCN also called on the international community to come to the aid of the Nigerian government in its fight to restore security and stability in the country.

Nigeria has been on a constant fight against the Boko Haram insurgents who in 2014 kidnapped girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Northern Nigeria. In recent times, there have been multiple instances of kidnappings and violence against local communities linked to the same group.

Similarly the AWC through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze called on workers in Nigeria to join the protests saying ''we should not wait until we are personally touched, for an injury to one is an injury to all. We at the AWC commend the Catholic Bishops for this initiative and we cal on all workers in Nigeria to show solidarity for the clarion call. Workers should join the protests on Wednesday by putting black to show that they are not happy with the spate of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes.''