By Felix Azamosa
On the 24th April 2018, two Catholic Priests and 17 Parishioners of St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Benue State were killed by suspected herdsmen.
As directed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City marked a peaceful protest and rally on the 22nd of May, 2018, against the killing of the two priests, Rev. Fr. Joseph Gor and Rev. Fr. Felix Iyolaha and 17 parishioners in Benue State.
In Benin City, a multitude of catholic faithful who were in sorrowful and mourning mood defied the early morning rain to gather at St. Paul’s Catholic Church Airport Road Benin City between 7:30am to 8:00am before marching through Airport road, King-square and Mission road to the Holy Cross Cathedral, where Holy Mass and prayers were offered for the slain innocent souls.
At St. Paul’s Catholic Church, the Chancellor, Archdiocese of Benin City, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Oyanoafor explained to the congregation that the peaceful protest and rally was not political and was not targeted at any political party in Nigeria. According to the chancellor, a priest of the catholic Archdiocese of Benin City was kidnapped along the Abuja-Okena express road, some priests and religious in Auchi Diocese were kidnapped and were release after torture, and six Reverend Sisters of the Catholic Church were kidnapped from their convent at Iguoriakhi, near Benin City, who managed to escaped after weeks of torture in captivity.
He said suspected herdsmen killed three persons in Ugboha in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State on March 18th, 2018. According to him, multiple killing of innocent citizens by suspected herdsmen had been reported at Uromi, Ekpoma, Odiguetue and many other parts of Edo State, adding that our forests and farmland had been taking over by the terrorists who came alive at night unnoticed.
The chancellor further said that the spate of kidnapping in the country had continued unabated with innocent travelers and many others as victims. The state of insecurity had caused the people to live as refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in our country.
The Vicar General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Very Rev. Fr. Augustine Ehigie who represented the Archbishop of Benin City, Most Rev. Dr. Augustine O. Akubeze, said, “We weep because we see that it seems love of humans has been ambushed by the love of animals. We weep at the rate and spate of killing in our dear country, Nigeria. We weep because it seems the government has refused to call a spade a spade.”
According to the priest, while the common criminals were treated with orchestrated brutality and swift punishment, those high level terrorists are not even seen as such. He advised the Federal Government of Nigeria to launch a major decisive operation to eliminate these terrorists. Whether they are indigenes of this country or foreigners or from erstwhile Libyan President, Muamar Gaddiffi as reported by the Federal Government of Nigeria, they should be arrested and dealt with as such.
According to him, the peaceful protest and rally were clarion call to the power that be to take the welfare of Nigerians serious. He said, “We have not come with weapons of physical battle-swords, guns or bombs, but what we have are spiritual ammunitions that will not return empty”. He said the protest must yield some result and that the walls of Jericho which stood as barriers of progress and peace against the nation would melt away through “our prayers”, adding that the beast of Babylon of our time must be brought down.
The Vicar General said, “We have come in the name of the Almighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit and fire of sanctification and demolition. According to him, we have with us the weapon that routed and crushed the Ottoman Turks at the battle of Lepanto in 1570, the weapon that dismantle and disengaged fierce Arbigensians was fought with Holy Rosary”. He said although the tempests raged round us, we knew that our dearest mother Blessed Virgin Mary must surely calm the troubled sea.
According to the priest “We invoke the spirit of the two Catholic priests, their parishioners who were killed on the 24th April, 2018, and all innocent persons killed as a result of hydra-headed terrorists and kidnapping to Almighty God who heard the cry of the blood of Abel. God who sees all that is done in secret must surely reward the perpetrator of these nefarious acts of killing of innocent persons.
He however advised Catholic faithful to pray for God’s intervention and that our faith shall not fail us and our faith must surely prevail. According to him, we must put our trust in God, because our Lord Jesus Christ has promised us that the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against his church.
The protesters displayed placards with various inscription that read; “No animal will vote in 2019”, “please do not turn Nigeria into an animal kingdom”, “Stop” rendering people homeless”, “Catholic Church in Nigeria rejects Federal Government’s poor handling of security in the country”, “Nigeria belongs to all of us”, and “killing of Christians and innocent Nigeria must stop”.
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