Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta.
Bishop of Abeokuta Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Odetoyinbo yesterday at Abeokuta told President Muammadu Buhari to either rise up to the challenges of killings and insecurity across the country or resign from office. Most Rev. Odetoyinbo argued that the President is like a father, the head of the house and as the chief security officer he must ultimately protect his household or resign his leadership if he fails in this all important duty.
The Catholic Bishop made this call while speaking with journalists over the peaceful rally held to protest the incessant killing and insecurity in the country. The clergyman said that the protest which was observed by Catholic churches all over the country was to particularly mourn and commemorate funeral of two priests and 15 parishioners of Makurdi Catholic diocese killed recently allegedly by herdsmen and were being buried yesterday.
According to him, “the President should stop the killings of Nigerians by the herdsmen as the father of the nation. If the father of the house cannot protect his children, he should leave the house.”
Rev. Odetoyinbo explained that ” we are here to protest the killings and insecurity in the country; more importantly to mourn the killing of two of our priests and 15 parishioners in Makurdi Diocese of Benue State as they are being buried today in solidarity with Catholic faithfuls all over Nigeria.
“All we are saying with this protest is that the federal government should save us and stop this killings. Human lives is very sacred wheather you are a Muslim or Christians, it doesn’t really matter.
“We need peace in the country, The President is our father and the head of the house and should therefore live up to the expectations of ensuring that everybody is safe in the country, this is our message with this peaceful protest”.
The Catholic faithfuls had earlier converged at St. Anne Catholic Church, Ibara, Abeokuta for a requiem mass where prayers were offered for the departed souls as well as the peace of the nation before embarking on the peaceful protest around Abeokuta metropolis calling on Federal Government to stop the incessant killings in the country.
Some of the messages on the placards held aloft by the protesters were: “President Buhari stop this killings or resign, “Human live is Sacred, “Killing is a sin, “Have we lost our sense of value for human lives ? among others.
