Catholic faithful on Tuesday in Uyo protested the killing of two Catholic priests and 17 worshipers recently in Benue.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “No weapon fashioned against Christians shall prosper”; “Say no to terrorism in places of worship”; “Christians lives matter”; “live and lets live”; “human lives are sacred”, among others.

Bishop of Uyo Diocese, Rev. Dr John Ayah, said that Catholics would not take up arms against Fulani herdsmen in the face of recent attacks against worshipers and priests.

Ayah said that they would continue to depend on security agencies of government for the protection of their members, especially during church programmes.

“The killings have become too many. The church is ‘armless’ so, we will continue to depend on the security provided by government.

“If the government provides sufficient security, then there will be no point carrying guns around to protect Christians. We do not have arms, our arms are our prayers and our rosaries.

“So we are telling governments to wake up to their responsibilities of providing adequate security to the citizens.”

The bishop said that the killings by herdsmen had become unbearable and had continued to portray lack of adequate security by the Federal Government.

In his remark, the Vicar General in charge of administration for the Diocese, Rev. Fr Donatus Udoette, said that government’s responsibility was to provide adequate security for its citizens.

Udoette said that as Christians, Catholics would not take up arms but would depend on prayers.

He, however, called on the Federal Government to rise up to the challenge of protecting citizens from the menace of herdsmen. (NAN)

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