Insecurity: Osogbo Catholic Members Protest Incessant Killings

By Solomon Odeniyi

Members of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo on Tuesday in their large numbers took to the streets to join their counterparts across the country to hold a walk as a mark of protest against the various killings in the nation.

The walk which began at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Jaleyemi Area of the state capital ended at the Osun State House of Assembly.

The walk, according to the Vicar General of the Osogbo Diocese, Reverend Father Thaddeus Ajayi was for the authorities of the Catholic Church in Nigeria to register their collective anguish on the incessant killings in Nigeria and condemn the needless lost of human lives in all parts of the country.

The Reverend Father who alluded to the murder of two Catholic priests, Rev. Father Joseph Gor and Fr. Felix Tyolaha as well as 17 other catholic faithful who were murdered in Benue said, the value of human lives are no longer being respected.

He said: “Human life is sacred and no one has the right to take another person’s life under any pretence, be it Muslim, Christians, Northerners or Southerners.  We assert that a human life is more precious than a million cows and more valuable than all the wealth in the world.  It is an abomination to see human lives being wasted everyday without adequate steps taken to prevent the occurrences or to significantly deter the killers.’’

He frowned at how the federal government has been watching the security agencies turning a blind eye to the cries and wails of helpless citizens who are victims of insecurity.

He demanded that federal government must wake up to its constitutional responsibility of protecting human lives and properties, adding, “they should not wait until the killers of innocent Nigerians are tired of killing.

Lauding the government of Osun for the proactive steps being taking to keep the state relatively safe and peaceful, he enjoined other states and the federal government to emulate the good gesture.

Addressing the protesters, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam appreciated them in the manner at which they conducted themselves, adding that the house as a matter of urgency will deliberate on the issue, come up with a resolution, as well as intimate the governor of the state about their plight for onward transmission to the government at the centre.