Lagos Archbishop Asks FG to Declare Emergency on Security

•Concerned by increasing kidnapping, killing of officers, burning of police stations and INEC offices

Tobi Soniyi

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, yesterday, advised the federal government to declare a state of emergency on security in the country, saying the level of crime has peaked. Martins gave the advice against the backdrop of increasing kidnapping in every part of the county. He also alleged the murder of innocent people, including policemen, burning of police stations and correctional facilities, and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nationwide.

According to a statement by Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the prelate, who would turn 62 years on June 1, said declaring emergency on security had become necessary to save the country from a looming anarchy. He bemoaned the failure of government at all levels to decisively address the root causes of insecurity across the country and bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book.

The Archbishop said efforts to rid the country of kidnappers and bandits should include constant dialogue between representatives of the security agencies and major stakeholders, such as religious leaders, traditional rulers, leaders of ethnic groups, the civil society, and political parties.

Martins called on the National Assembly to follow through on the process for the amendment of the constitution to pave the way for such needs as the creation of state police and revalidation of the federal character of the republic. He said, “These would certainly help in restoring peace and security all over the country.”

Noting that insecurity had become the single most serious problem facing the country, he said, “Many innocent persons are being kidnapped for ransom, many are being attacked in their homes and displaced, with their properties destroyed and normal life disrupted daily.

“Even policemen and their stations are being deliberately attacked with impunity. What this means is that the country is gradually drifting into a state of anarchy. This, no doubt, portends a grave danger for our collective wellbeing.”
Martins warned that this was not the time to play the blame game or play politics through sectoral efforts.

“There must be a collective effort through a robust consultation with all stakeholders,” Martins stated. “We all must come together to fight this hydra-headed monster of insecurity that is making life difficult for our people,” he said.

Martins called on the federal government to roll out practical action plans with time frames for bringing the situation under control, adding that the insecurity being experienced is part of a systemic problem with governance at the national level.

He called for a review of the present geopolitical structure in the country, stating that the current arrangement places too much power on the centre, while the states continued to operate without adequate authority to chart the path for their development.

Martins supported the recent call by some elder statesmen for the revalidation of the federal structure of the country as anticipated by the founding fathers and articulated in the 1963 Nigerian Constitution, even if the configuration of the constituent parts of the federation would be different from what it was in the 1963.

Martins commiserated with the federal government and families of the military officers, who recently lost their lives following an air mishap that also claimed the life of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru. He said the only way to honour the dead was to strive harder to overcome insecurity and make the country a better place for all citizens to live in.

The prelate appealed to the various ethnic groups agitating for self-determination to embrace dialogue and shun violence so as not to exacerbate the insecurity in the land and cause more hardship for the people.

He reminded the political leaders that Nigerians were going through a lot of hardship occasioned by economic downturn, even as he called for various forms of interventions to help cushion the hardship.

On the rising cost of foodstuff in the market, he asked the government to seek new ways of bringing an end to the herders/farmers’ clashes, which are adversely affecting the planting and harvesting of agricultural products, especially, in the southern parts of the country.
The Archbishop also called on well-meaning Nigerians to be their brother’s keepers by extending hands of charity to the less privileged and the downtrodden in the country.