“The bishops of Nigeria have decried the unabated violence perpetrated by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State-West Africa Province in the northeastern states, Zaidan noted in his letter.
“Local vigilante groups have risen up to defend farmers in the middle belt of the country from armed herdsmen while bandits and gunmen attack villages and motorists, and kidnap innocent people for ransom across the northwest and middle of the country,” he wrote.
Zaidan noted that because of this, Nigeria has more than 3 million internally displaced people, “most of whom have escaped this relentless swell of violence.”
The bishops called on the nation to “leave all polarizations behind and come together” and added: “We have both the natural and human resources to get this done.”
“It is no longer acceptable for our leaders to surround themselves only with their political supporters and cronies,” the bishops wrote, adding: “It is time to run government for the common good.”
The Nigerian bishops also highlighted the negative effect of the termination of fuel subsidies and the “drastic devaluation” of the Nigerian currency on the already impoverished and vulnerable in society.
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