NIGERIA UNDER SIEGE BY INSECURITY, SAYS CBCN PRESIDENT LUCIUS UGORJI. (PHOTO).

 Nigeria Under Siege by Insecurity, Says CBCN President Lucius Ugorji

Most Reverend Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has declared that Nigeria is "under siege" due to escalating insecurity, marked by rampant kidnappings and brutal killings of innocent citizens.

In his Easter message delivered in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, Ugorji painted a grim picture of the nation’s security crisis. “We are celebrating Easter this year in an atmosphere that breathes pessimism and despair. The general insecurity of life and property is heightened by the rising wave of kidnapping for ransom and the mindless slaughtering of innocent citizens by criminal gangs,” he said.

Ugorji lamented that no place in Nigeria feels safe, stating, “We seem to be a nation under siege. No place seems safe: our homes, places of business, our highways, and even the sacred precincts of places of worship.” He criticized the government’s apparent lack of political will to tackle the growing criminality, warning that this inaction is pushing citizens to resort to self-defense to protect their lives and livelihoods.

The cleric’s remarks come amid ongoing violence in states like Benue and Plateau. In Benue, Governor Hyacinth Alia recently confirmed the killing of 55 people in Logo and Ukum Local Government Areas by armed bandits. In Plateau, Governor Caleb Mutfwang urged residents of Zilkke village in Bassa Local Government Area to stay vigilant and defend themselves following repeated attacks by suspected criminals. A recent assault on Zilkke reportedly claimed over 50 lives, injured scores, including women and children, and destroyed more than 40 houses.