Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
The Catholic community, in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital and its environs, on Tuesday, defied the heavy down pour as they filed out in their hundreds to join other members across the nation to protest the recent killings of the two Catholic priests and 17 other worshippers in Benue State.
The Catholic adherents who gathered at the Bishop’s Court, Government House, Lokoja as early as 8.00am went through major streets in the state capital, drenched with rains as they clinched their Rosaries in their hands praying.
Earlier, before they filed out for Rosary procession, the Bishop of Lokoja Diocese, Martins Olorunmolu, while addressing the crowd, said there was too much bloodshed in the nation and called on the Federal Government to do something urgently to address the situation.
He said a country where Christians could no longer worship their God freely for fear of attacks and killings was a serious threat to the peaceful co-existence of such nation and called on politicians to avoid playing politics with human lives
Bishop Olorunmolu, who lamented the high rate of poverty and sufferings among the citizens in the state due to non-payment of salaries, also called on Governor Yahaya Bello to allow his administration wear a human face.
He said even the schools being run by the Catholic mission in the state were now passing through tough time as the parents could no longer afford to pay the school fees of their children and wards due to non-payment of salaries.
The protesters later ended their procession at the Immaculate Catholic Cathedral, Lokoja, with prayers and Thanksgiving.