Nigerian Catholic Church ‘voice of voiceless’ amid ongoing kidnappings
By Sr. Titilayo Aduloju, SSMA
Over the past several years, kidnapping in Nigeria has become a significant issue. Abductions by bandits and insurgents are among Nigeria's most serious organised or gang-related crimes, and they pose a threat to national security.
Catholic priests and religious have also faced constant threats from bandits and insurgents.
In the most recent development, three monks were kidnapped from the Benedictine monastery of Eruku in Kwara state, in north-central Nigeria, on 17 October and are yet to be released.
Fr. Michael Umoh, the Director of Communication at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, spoke with Vatican News about the continuous abductions of Catholic priests and religious in the country.
Issues related to kidnappings
Talking about issues related to the many abductions of priests and religious, Fr. Umoh said there are a host of issues that contribute to the threat.
“One must first acknowledge that there are a lot of complex situations in the country, Nigeria, at the moment,” he lamented. “For about 10 years now, things have not really been normal or have not gone well with the country generally.”
On a political level, he acknowledged, “there has been so much manipulation, and that has consequently had real adverse effects on almost everything concerning the nation.”
The borders of the nation have also become more porous to bandits, said Fr. Umoh, including militants from Boko Haram or Fulani herdsmen.
However, added Fr. Umoh, “When it now comes to the issue of priests being kidnapped, I can’t give the real reasons.” But he voiced his suspicions that the kidnappers are often seeking to be paid a ransom, which they then use to buy more weapons.
He noted that bandits seem to have come to believe the Church would be willing to pay those ransom to recover its members.
Fr. Umoh said the priest or religious who is kidnapped is usually not targeted as an individual but rather the target is “the Church where they think they can get a ransom”.
Estimated cases of kidnapping
The Director of Communications admitted that there are no firm statistics regarding the number of Catholic ministers who have been abducted.
“The worst hit areas have been those in the north,” he said, as well as people in the Midwest.
“When you talk about religious sisters, their vehicles being stopped and or even their convents being intruded, broken into and sisters taken away, we can just say the number is alarming and disturbing,” lamented Fr. Umoh.
The truth remains that one kidnap alone is bad enough, but it has become more of a regular issue, which has now been a source of concern to many priests, bishops, dioceses, and religious houses, particularly those who have endured an attack.
“The number is huge, that I can tell you, and it is worrisome,” he said.
Nigerian priests and religious committed to their mission
“We must all acknowledge that our brothers, particularly in the northern part of Nigeria, are Catholic heroes, beginning from our bishops,” Fr. Umoh confirmed. “The Church is under siege and the clergy continue to operate under very difficult and worrisome situations,” he said.
Religious women also face the threat of abduction, as in the recent kidnapping and release of three sisters in the southeastern state of Ebonyi.
“Sometimes, when we salute the heroism of the bishops, the clergy, and of course, we often forget that there are nuns working there, too,” he said. “There are nuns in our schools there, still working in the various institutions, the homes for the elderly, the homes for the physically challenged, and whatever.”
Nigerian Church remains the voice of the voiceless
Fr. Umoh said the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) remains the only voice that continues to speak truth to power and offer guidance to the faithful.
This stance, said Fr. Umoh, is making the Bishops “unpopular with the government. They seem to be the only voice that people look up to and know to speak for them as the voice of the voiceless.”
He also said that the CBCN is not just talking about the kidnapping of priests or sisters or attacks on the Church, but also about issues concerning the general situation in Nigeria.
“The bishops speak for everybody; they speak for the people, not just for the Church. The bishops are really working, and it's a dangerous work. It's a work of faith,” Fr. Umoh said.
“The bishops continue to strive to sustain the hope of the people,” he concluded. “They always continue that in spite of all the situation, hope is a gift that can never end.”
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