The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government, declaring that Nigeria is “being thrown into chaos” as terrorist attacks and mass abductions intensify across the country.
In a strongly worded statement released in Lagos by the Director of Communications, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, Archbishop Martins said the escalating wave of violence ranging from school abductions to attacks on worship centres and the killing of security personnel has exposed glaring gaps in the nation’s security architecture. He urged the Federal Government and security agencies to urgently confront the terrorists and their sponsors before the situation spirals further out of control.
The Archbishop condemned the November 17 predawn abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, describing the incident as a painful reminder of the Chibok tragedy that still haunts the nation. He noted that the attackers killed the school’s Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, before escaping with the girls into the forest. While one student has regained her freedom, 24 others remain in captivity.
He also decried the kidnapping of a Catholic priest, Father Bobbo Paschal, from St. Stephen Catholic Church in Kushe Gudgu, Kaduna State, during a raid in which a parishioner, Gideon Markus, was shot dead while attempting to resist the assailants, an incident the Archbishop described as “a demonstration of brazen audacity.”
Martins further cited the recent killing of Brigadier General Muhammad Uba by terrorists and the violent attack on worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, as indicators of a nation under siege, questioning how ordinary citizens can feel safe when even top military officers are targeted.
He lamented: “If terrorists can kill a serving army general in such a brazen manner, I wonder how secure the average citizen is.”
The Archbishop criticized the disparity between repeated military assurances and the persistent rise in attacks, calling on President Tinubu’s administration to fulfill its constitutional duty by securing the release of all abducted persons, particularly the Kebbi schoolgirls.
He also urged political leaders to put aside partisan interests and unite behind security agencies in the fight against terrorism, insisting that “no stone should be left unturned in bringing the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.”