Ibadan, Nigeria - The bishops of southwest Nigeria have praised the country’s apparent progress toward countering the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Occurrences of senseless killing by the Boko Haram have decreased and many displaced people are apparently returning to their former homes. We prayerfully congratulate the Nigerian Army and the security forces for their sacrifice and commitment,” the Catholic bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province said.
“We appeal to the government that the current general vigilance in the area of security be sustained so as to forestall a recurrence of the worst days of insurgency in Nigeria. In the meantime we plead that great care be taken to avoid punishing innocent people for the crimes of the guilty insurgents.”
The Islamist extremist group Boko Haram began a violent uprising in northern Nigeria in 2009. It seeks to impose an Islamic state. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed in the uprising, while 2.3 million may have been driven from their homes.
The group became notorious around the world after its partisans kidnapped over 200 girls from a school in Chibok in 2014. The group’s activities have expanded into Cameroon.
The bishops of the Ibadan region said that the public in Nigeria tends to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is well intentioned and is working hard to address critical problems like the insurgency and corruption.
The province’s bishops issued their statement at the close of their first plenary meeting of 2016, held Jan. 18-19. The province includes the Archdiocese of Ibadan and five other dioceses.
Their message noted the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Mercy, and they praised efforts to enhance and protect “the sanctity of human life, marriage and family in all areas of life.”
The bishops also noted the desire for peaceful co-existence and the need for “genuine, harmonious relations among religions.”
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