Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Barring any last minute changes, members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, would take to the streets of Abuja, on Tuesday, to register their displeasure with the alarming rate of insecurity and bad governance in Nigeria.
It was gathered that the peaceful procession/protest would start from the National Ecumenical Center and terminate at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Catholic Church, Garki, Abuja.
It was also learnt that Catholics all over Nigeria have been asked to hold similar exercise at various level, to perhaps, reawaken government consciousness to socioeconomic and political decadence, as well as insecurity in Nigeria.
A statement by the Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Rev. Fr. Ralph Madu, indicated that the protest was mainly to honour two Catholic priests and other faithful that were killed last month in a Catholic Church in Benue state by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The two catholic priests identified as Rev. Fr. Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, alongside 17 others were said to have been celebrating early morning mass when the herdsmen invaded the church and unleash terror on them.
They would be buried on Tuesday at Sesugh Maria pilgrimage centre, Ayati, in Benue State.
Fr. Madu said the burial is a catalyst for the nationwide prayer procession/protest, while the primary intention was to protest the unending killing of Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen and Boko haram insurgents in different parts of Nigeria.
The church was particularly concerned with the nonchalant attitude of government to the murderous activities of Fulani herdsmen, as well as the lukewarm attitude/response of government to the repeated calls for a proactive measure on the issue of security of lives and property of Nigerians.
It thus advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019, suggesting that he step aside to save Nigeria from imminent national crisis that could snowball into war.