Catholic bishops urge S’West govs to unite against bandits’ incursion

Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, yesterday, urged governors of the six Southwest states to be united to deal with the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in parts of Yorubaland.

The bishops, who appealed in a communiqué issued at the end of their two-day meeting held in Ibadan, called for action by the leaders to tackle these threats to maintain the relative peace and security of recent years.

They said that efficient intelligence-gathering, good remunerations and equipping of the security outfits, as well as a determination to prosecute crimes without favour, are all necessary for the provision of security of life and property and must be pursued with single-mindedness.

Chairman of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin, who read out the communiqué, said the governors must pursue with single-mindedness the imperative of devising strategies to stall further incursion as well as smoke out criminals in the Southwest.

“As leaders of the Church in Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, we commend our political leaders for managing the security situation in this land reasonably well for the last few years, making the hope of the people in a better future grow.

“This proves the dictum that when there is life, there is hope. Citizens have to be alive to work for better times. Our leaders, however, cannot rest on their oars. We must denounce the threat posed more recently by the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in parts of Yorubaland.

“We appeal to governors and security agencies in the southwestern states to rise to the challenge posed by these threats to maintain the relative peace and security of recent years,” the communiqué read in part.

The bishops, therefore, urged all the citizens to hold on to hope, which never disappoints and to believe that God will have the final say. They also enjoined the government to engage with experts and creative, social engineers to reduce the rate of hunger in the society as an added means of strengthening the hope of the citizens.

The bishops, while speaking on the proposed national conference with the youths, urged the Federal Government to ensure a transparent and honest process of selection that will guarantee a fair and widespread representation of young people all over the country.