The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged the Federal Government to make aggressive measures to halt the country’s worrying proliferation of weaponry.
They made the request at a time when the country is dealing with security issues that have disturbed citizens’ lives and generated concerns about the country’s safety and stability.
“Governments should urgently check the proliferation of small arms and light weapons facilitated by the booming business of gunrunning which fuels insecurity in our country.
“It does not make sense to disarm the populace while armed criminals terrorise unarmed citizens,’’ President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, said.
He was addressing the opening of the second plenary of a retreat of the CBCN.
“We appeal to kidnappers and their sponsors and to those who unleash violence in our communities to have a change of heart and shun all forms of criminality to avoid God’s wrath.
“We also strongly denounce the mindless and reckless spilling of blood and destruction of property in our communities by hardened criminals and some trigger-happy government security operatives.
“The shedding of innocent blood is an abomination. God hates hands that shed innocent blood,’’ he stressed.
