The plea followed the recent abduction of the Priest of St. Ann’s Catholic Parish in Sarkin Kudu, Ibi Local Council of Taraba State, Rev. Fr. Thaddeus Tarhembe, by unidentified gunmen at the weekend.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said that from 2022 to date, priests had been kidnapped in Nigeria, with some killed, and others abducted and subsequently released this year.
The association, which asserted that what is happening in the North is a form of jihad aimed at eliminating Christianity, berated the Federal Government for its inability to identify the perpetrators behind the killings of Catholic priests and other religious leaders in the country.
It said that the government might either be overwhelmed by the situation or involved in cover-ups due to corruption within the security sector.
“The failure of the government to address the issue of priest killings has emboldened other criminals to commit similar acts.”
“A government sensitive to diverse religious orientations and cultural affiliations is needed.” The rights group also called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Police, and other security agencies, along with intelligence agencies, to intensify their efforts in capturing the criminals responsible for these crimes.
It, therefore, stressed the need for a new approach in tackling insecurity and the need for the government to decisively deal with the perpetrators of these atrocities, which continue to motivate others to commit more crimes.
