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Scores of Catholic priests in Imo State, yesterday, protested the abduction of 47 of their members between 2015 and 2025. They also disclosed that two of them were killed.
Briefing journalists at the Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri, Rev. Fr Anthony Njoku regretted that they were not getting commensurate protection from the state security operatives.
At the briefing attended by the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Diocese, Luscious Ugorji; the immediate past Archbishop, Dr Anthony Obinna, among others said: “These words of the Vatican 11 fathers weigh heavily on our hearts and compel us, the Catholic priests of the Archdiocese of Owerri, to speak out before it is too late about the alarming descent of Imo State into a state of insecurity and fear.
“The situation is dire. Kidnappings for ransom, abductions for organ harvesting, and violent invasions of people’s lands and farms are now commonplace across Imo State and Igbo land. These horrors are no longer distant headlines; they are personal. Our priests and faithful parishioners have suffered terribly, and the pain continues to spread.
“While we have an innumerable number of people, who have fallen victim in the past 10 years, between 2015 and 2025, there are more than 50 clergy and religious victims of this horrendous situation from Ahiara, Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri dioceses, with Okigwe recording the highest of 47 priest victims, and two deaths from Owerri and Orlu, respectively, all in Imo State alone.
“The perpetrators, often identified as Fulani herdsmen, strike with increasing boldness and cruelty. This is a nightmare no one should endure, let alone our people.”
The cleric regretted that the security operatives appeared helpless in the face of the issues raised
He added: “Sadly, our security forces appear helpless. Whether due to a lack of equipment, insufficient capacity, or the absence of political will, they have failed to stem the tide of this evil. Their apparent paralysis in the face of widespread violence is deeply troubling.”
The efforts made by The Guardian to get the response of the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, yielded no fruits as his line was not available.
MEANWHILE, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 9 Umuahia, Mr. Kanayo Uzuegbu, has said that the activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are dying off in South-East.
He called on the people of the zone to go about their normal businesses without fear of attack and intimidation.
AIG Uzuegbu, who stated this in Ebonyi State Police headquarters during an official visit to the Command, warned the officers and men to desist from any act capable of denting the police’s image.
