Catholic Priests and lay members of the
Church in the entire Enugu Diocese turned out in their thousands for
peaceful rallies in Nsukka and Awgu dioceses.
The priests and members of the three
Catholic Dioceses in Enugu State, Nsukka, Awgu and Enugu, on Saturday,
turned out in their thousands for peaceful mass rallies tagged "Diocesan peaceful prayerful protest march", as they protested the violent activities of herdsmen in the state and expressed their anger at the menace posed by herdsmen.
It was reported that the Enugu Catholic
diocese shelved its plan to march to the Government House, where they
intended to deliver a petition to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The Diocese had earlier announced that
it would march from the Holy Ghost Cathedral, through the streets of
Enugu metropolis, to the Government House on Saturday. But the planned
march failed to hold after Ugwuanyi and some members of the state
executive council visited the church.
It was learnt that the church leadership
called off the march after they were informed of an alleged plan by
miscreants including pro-Biafra activists, to hijack the event and use
the protest march to cause a breakdown of law and order.
While addressing the Catholic faithfuls at the cathedral during the visit, Governor Ugwuanyi said his administration was determined to protect lives and property in the state.
He said, “On the issues you have
raised in this rally, I wish to state that I address you today not only
as a Catholic but as your governor and the Chief Security Officer of
Enugu State. While taking my oath of office, I swore to do everything
within my powers to preserve the security of lives and property of the
people of Enugu State.
“You can therefore be assured that I
will not fail in this responsibility and be further assured that
whatever message you convey through me to the appropriate authorities at
Abuja, will be promptly delivered.”
The church also made known its
opposition to the proposed grazing bill in a joint press statement read
by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev. Callistus Onaga, and
the bishops of Awgu and Nsukka dioceses.
“The free grazing of cattle in our
area has now become a threat not only to the growing of crops, which is
the mainstay of our sedentary people, but also to our lives. The nomadic
lifestyle makes policing and the pursuit of criminals much more complex
and hazardous, while providing terrorists like Boko Haram operatives
with ready cover for penetrating every nook and cranny of our country,” the statement said.
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